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MEXICO 


THE  WONDERLAND  OE  THE  SOUTH 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  • BOSTON  • CHICAGO  • DALLAS 
ATLANTA  • SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  & CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  • BOMBAY  • CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


< 


A TEHUANTEPEC  BEAUTY, 

Wearing  her  elal)orate  costume,  starched  head-dress,  and  necklace  of  gold 

coins. 


MEXICO 

THE  WONDERLAND  OF 
THE  SOUTH 


BY 

W.  E.  CARSON 


REVISED  EDITION  WITH  NEW  CHAPTERS 


Wetn  gorfe 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 
1914 

All  rights  reserved 


CoPTEi&HT,  1909,  1914, 

By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.  Published  October,  1909.  Reprinted 
April,  1910, 

Revised  edition,  with  new  matter,  February,  May,  1914. 


Nortoaob 

J.  S.  Cushing  Co.  — Berwick  & Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 


Recent  events  in  Mexico,  which  have  resulted  in  wide- 
spread revolution,  have  served  to  draw  the  attention  of  the 
whole  world  to  that  distressful  country.  Incidentally, 
there  has  been  created  an  extraordinary  demand  for  reliable 
information  concerning  Mexico  and  the  Mexicans.  This 
fact,  as  well  as  the  generous  reception  accorded  this  book 
since  it  appeared,  has  led  the  publishers  to  issue  the  present 
edition,  which,  by  means  of  careful  revision  and  certain  addi- 
tions, has  been  brought  fully  up  to  date. 

It  should  be  added  that  the  material  embodied  in  the 
various  chapters  was  not  derived  from  a merely  superficial 
acquaintance  with  Mexico,  but  was  gathered  during  a series 
of  visits  to  the  country  and  a fairly  long  residence  there. 
Shortly  before  the  retirement  of  President  Diaz  the  author, 
as  a newspaper  correspondent,  made  the  tour  which  he 
describes ; and  in  relating  his  experiences  he  was  enabled 
to  make  use  of  certain  observations  he  had  made  and  facts 
that  he  had  collected  on  previous  visits.  In  addition  to 
this  he  had  carefully  studied  the  best  works  on  Mexico, 
statistical,  historical  and  descriptive. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  of  the  numerous  books  on  Mexico, 
published  in  recent  years,  the  majority  have  dealt  with  the 
darker  side  of  Mexican  life.  The  reading  public  has  thus 
been  made  unduly  familiar  with  such  subjects  as  the  horrors 
of  the  peonage  system,  the  corruption  of  the  government 
and  the  atrocities  of  revolutionists.  An  impression  has  also 
been  widely  given  that  ^ ‘greasers,^’  cow-punchers  and  ban- 


VI 


PREFACE 


dits  are  typical  of  Mexican  life  as  a whole.  That  such  an 
impression  is  far  from  accurate,  however,  is  clear  to  any- 
one who  has  visited  the  larger  Mexican  cities  or  is  familiar 
with  conditions  in  the  quiet  rural  districts  of  the  central  and 
southern  states. 

Mexico,  it  is  true,  is  barbarous  in  spots.  It  is  equally 
true  that  in  the  capital  and  elsewhere  one  finds  abundant 
evidences  of  culture  and  the  refinements  of  highly  civilized 
life.  Therefore,  to  judge  the  country  fairly,  not  only  should 
its  undeveloped  material  be  examined,  but  also  the  best  that 
it  has  been  able  to  produce.  Mexico  has  its  dark  side,  but 
it  should  be  given  due  credit  for  the  progress  that  has  been 
made  in  the  face  of  many  difficulties. 

In  the  following  pages  the  author  has  given  a concise 
account  of  his  wanderings  in  Mexico,  a description  of  the 
Mexican  capital  and  other  interesting  cities,  of  the  great 
haciendas,  of  the  gold  and  silver  mines,  of  some  quaint 
health  resorts  and  of  his  experiences  in  mountain  climbing, 
tarpon  fishing  and  ranching.  Ample  space  has  been 
devoted  to  the  life  of  the  people,  the  political  aspects  of  the 
country  and  its  industrial  development.  Some  idea  has 
also  been  given  of  the  strange  contrasts  which  characterize 
Mexico  to-day. 

Under  the  long  rule  of  President  Diaz,  Mexico  witnessed  a 
general  progress  which  might  easily  have  occupied  cen- 
turies. But  this  very  rapidity  of  evolution  has  worked 
against  a completeness  of  development  and  has  left  frag- 
ments of  the  ancient  order  that  give  to  the  country,  in 
patches,  the  fascinating  interest  of  olden  days.  Railways, 
telegraphs  and  telephones,  automobiles,  electric  light  and 
traction  have  come,  and  the  social  life  of  the  educated 
classes  has  been  largely  modernized;  and  yet  the  Indian 
with  his  burro,  the  cargador  with  his  burden  and  the  old- 
fashioned  village  priest  still  remain.  Thus  it  is  that  in 


PREFACE 


Vll 


Mexico  the  old  and  the  new  are  everywhere  to  be  seen  side 
by  side. 

It  is  this  strange  mixture  of  the  ancient  and  modern  that 
has  produced  such  queer  phases  of  life  as  exist  in  Mexico 
to-day.  The  highest  type  of  civilization  and  the  most 
primitive  barbarism  are  oftentimes  to  be  found  in  close 
proximity.  And  it  is  on  this  account  that  Mexico,  in  point 
of  human  interest,  surpasses  any  other  country  of  Latin- 
America.  With  a wonderful  past,  peopled  by  an  ancient 
race  with  strange  customs  and  traditions,  it  is  also  a land 
of  magnificent  scenery,  of  superb  climates  and  amazing 
natural  resources. 

While  dealing  with  these  subjects,  the  author  has  exerted 
every  effort  to  give  the  reader  an  insight  into  Mexican  life 
in  all  its  gradations.  He  has  tried,  in  short,  to  give  an 
accurate  description  of  Mexico  as  he  saw  this  wonderful 
country  in  journeying  from  place  to  place  — the  everyday 
life  of  the  people,  the  sights  and  scenes  that  he  witnessed 
and  the  various  incidents  that  marked  his  travel. 

One  of  the  new  features  of  the  present  edition  is  a careful 
summary  of  events  in  Mexico  from  the  accession  of  Presi- 
dent Diaz  in  1876  to  the  administration  of  President  Huerta 
in  1914,  together  with  an  account  of  the  revolutionary 
episodes  of  the  last  few  years.  During  a recent  visit  to 
the  Republic  the  author  was  also  able  to  gain  an  interesting 
insight  into  its  present  condition,  and  an  idea  of  the  general 
political  outlook,  the  result  of  which  has  been  embodied  in  a 
carefully  written  supplementary  chapter. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  a summary  of  this  book,  the  aim  of  which 
is  to  give  a pen-picture,  fresh,  accurate  and  inclusive,  of 
Mexico  to-day. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I. 

The  Tropics  in  a “Norther”. 

• 

• 

• 

, 

PAGE 

1 

II. 

From  Orizaba  to  the  Capital 

• 

• 

• ' 

. 

19 

III. 

Mexico  City  by  Night 

• 

• 

. 

44 

lY. 

Mexico  Past  and  Present 

• 

• 

• 

. 

67 

V. 

The  Sights  of  the  Capital 

• 

• 

. 

86 

VI. 

Churches  and  Miracles  . 

• 

• 

. 

111 

VII. 

The  Life  of  the  People  . 

• 

. 

123 

VIII. 

The  Mexican  Woman 

• 

. 

157 

IX. 

The  Foreign  Invasion 

• 

. 

170 

X. 

The  White  Man’s  Burden-bearer 

• 

. 

184 

XI. 

From  Diaz  to  Huerta 

• 

. 

194 

XII. 

The  Machinery  of  Government 

• 

. 

210 

XIII. 

A Mexican  Paradise 

« 

. 

219 

XIV. 

The  City  of  the  Angels  . 

. 

235 

XV. 

A Mexican  Carlsbad 

. 

249 

XVI. 

The  Valley  of  Oaxaca  . 

. 

258 

XVII. 

Luxurious  Life  at  a Gold  Mine 

. 

272 

XVIII. 

Christmas  at  Los  Reyes  . 

. 

287 

XIX. 

Prehistoric  Mexico  . 

• 

. 

300 

XX. 

Life  in  an  Old  Mexican  Town 

• 

. 

314 

XXI. 

In  the  Crater  of  Popocatepetl 

• 

. 

328 

XXII. 

Guadalajara  the  Wonderful 

• 

. 

339 

XXIII. 

“ The  Silver  City  ” . 

• 

. 

355 

IX 


X 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

XXIV. 

The  Titian  at  Tzintzuntzan 

• 

PAGE 

. 370 

XXV. 

The  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec 

• 

. 378 

XXVI. 

Tarpon  Fishing  at  Tampico 

• 

. 394 

XXVII. 

In  Northern  Mexico 

o 

• 

. 404 

XXVIII. 

Mexican  Problems  of  To-day 

• 

• 

. 428 

Index 


439 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


A Tehuantepec  Beauty Frontispiece 

FAOIKft  PAGE 

Map  showing  Author’s  Route 1 

Mexico’s  Chief  Seaport 5 

A Street  in  Vera  Cruz 12 

The  Blind  Beggar 19 

A Typical  Peon . 23 

Mexican  Riding  Costume 23 

A View  in  Orizaba 30 

Wonderful  Engineering 33 

Watching  the  Train 39 

Mexico’s  National  Drink 42 

An  Aguadore 42 

Calle  del  Reloj,  Mexico  City 48 

Reminiscent  of  the  Past  . ‘ 53 

Calle  Cinco  de  Mayo,  Mexico  City 60 

Ancient  Picture  Record 71 

Hernando  Cortes 74 

The  Emperor  Maximilian .82 

Cathedral  and  Plaza,  Mexico  City 87 

The  Mexican  National  Palace 90 

Pyramid  of  the  Moon 90 

xi 


xii  LIST  OJP  ILLUSTBATIONS 

FACING  PAG* 

The  Aztec  Calendar  Stone 94 

Ancient  Aztec  Pottery  and  Statue  of  the  God  of  War  99 

The  Paseo  de  la  Reforma 110 

Stone  Figures  of  the  God  of  Fire  and  the  Sad  Indian  117 

Church  at  Tepozotlan 120 

Church  of  Guadalupe 124 

Typical  Mexican  Women  of  the  Upper  Class  . . . 130 

Public  School  Children 130 

“Playing  the  Bear” 162 

The  Ancient  Race  — Types  of  Mexican  Indians  . . 186 

General  Diaz 197 

Some  Notable  Mexicans 204 

Typical  Revolutionists 211 

The  Rurales 214 

The  Awkward  Squad 214 

A “Bit”  of  Cuernavaca 222 

A View  from  Cuernavaca 227 

Aztec  Architecture 230 

In  Old  Puebla 238 

The  Pyramid  of  Cholula 238 

A View  of  Puebla 246 

The  Plaza,  Oaxaca 257 

Tortilla  Making 272 

Mexican  Rebeccas 272 

A Valley  in  the  Sierras 282 

Within  the  Ruins  of  Mitla 282 

Ruins  of  Mitla 312 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


xm 


FACING  PAGE 

Ascent  of  Popocatepetl  — View  from  Halfway  House  . 330 
The  Journey’s  End  — On  Summit  of  Popocatepetl  . . 380 

Cathedral  and  Main  Plaza,  Guadalajara  . . . 343 

An  Old  Street,  Guadalajara 346 

Quaint  Old  Guanajuato  . 355 

A Chamber  of  Horrors  ........  362 

Silver  Mining  . 366 

Mexico’s  Art  Treasure  — The  Titian  at  Tzintzuntzan  373 

The  Mexican  Tropics 380 

The  Rocky  Road  396 


•xM 


X" 


f 


AUTHOR'S  ROUTE  SHOWN  THUS! 


MEXICO:  THE  WONDERLAND  OF 
THE  SOUTH 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  TROPICS  IN  A ^^NORTHER^^ 

A LONG  line  of  flat,  sandy  coast  with  numerous  sand- 
bars stretching  seawards  over  which  the  surf  was  breaking. 
The  land,  covered  with  scrubby  bushes  and  here  and  there 
a melancholy  group  of  cocoanut  palms,  lay  forlorn  and 
desolate  under  the  dark  sky.  Farther  off  along  the  coast 
I could  distinguish  a long,  gray,  straggling  city,  an  islet 
crowned  by  the  time-worn  turrets  of  a white  fort,  and  two 
great  stone  jetties  branching  out  from  the  shore.  We 
were  running  through  a stormy  sea  in  the  teeth  of  a strong 
head-wind;  and  this  was  my  first  glimpse  of  Mexico  from 
the  deck  of  a Ward  liner  in  the  early  hours  of  a November 
morning. 

From  New  York  to  Havana  and  thence  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  our  voyage  had  been  through  seas  that  were  beau- 
tifully blue,  under  a cloudless  sky;  and  although  it  was 
winter,  the  air  was  as  balmy  as  in  June.  But  on  the 
seventh  day  there  came  a sudden  change.  The  tropical 
sky  and  warmth  disappeared;  dark  clouds  veiled  the  sun, 
a strong  wind  began  to  blow,  the  leaden-tinged  sea  was 
covered  with  white-caps.  Then  came  a wireless  message 
from  Vera  Cruz,  warning  us  that  a norther’^  was  playing 
havoc  all  along  the  coast.  These  '‘northers’^  are  the 
winds  which  at  frequent  intervals  during  the  winter  swoop 

1 


B 


2 


MEXICO 


down  from  the  ice-bound  regions  of  the  north  and  harry 
the  Gulf  coast  shipping. 

The  breakers  were  dashing  and  the  spray  was  flying 
about  the  narrow  harbor  entrance,  but  inside  was  smooth 
water.  In  the  old  days  there  was  no  harbor  at  Vera  Cruz 
and  the  only  protection  from  the  sea  was  a low  coral  reef. 
Then  vessels  in  the  roadstead  were  obliged  to  lie  with 
steam  up,  ready  to  put  out  to  sea  the  moment  a ^^norther’^ 
began  to  blow ; collisions  were  frequent.  Within  the  last 
few  years  a fine  harbor  has  been  built,  at  great  cost,  by 
S.  Pearson  & Sons,  the  English  engineers,  consisting  of  a 
system  of  great  stone  jetties  which  extend  round  the  reef 
and  completely  break  the  force  of  the  sea.  Now  vessels 
can  lie  safely  alongside  in  any  weather  and  discharge 
directly  on  to  the  wharves. 

Bleak  and  mournful  under  the  dark  November  sky, 
Vera  Cruz  had  yet  at  closer  quarters  an  extremely  pic- 
turesque, old-world  aspect.  For  about  two  miles  along 
the  shore  stretched  the  city  of  low,  flat-roofed  houses; 
from  among  them  rose  the  domes  and  towers  of  several 
churches.  Conspicuous  in  the  foreground  was  the  new 
custom-house,  a handsome  structure  of  white  stone,  and 
not  far  off  were  the  gray  towers  of  the  old  cathedral.  On 
a clear  day,  the  distant  snow-tipped  peak  of  Orizaba  forms 
a magnificent  background  for  the  port,  but  the  famous 
volcano,  when  we  arrived,  was  shrouded  from  view. 

Lying  at  the  wharves  were  three  American  and  two 
English  steamers,  a big  German  liner,  and  three  small 
revenue  cruisers,  painted  light  gray,  and  flying  the  Mexi- 
can ensign  of  red,  white  and  green.  A large  and  cosmo- 
politan gang  of  stevedores  — Spaniards,  Mexicans,  Italians, 
negroes,  Chinese,  Japanese  — were  busily  loading  one  of 
the  American  ships  with  bags  of  coffee  and  great  bunches 
of  green  bananas;  the  German  liner  was  taking  in  from 


THE  TROPICS  IN  A “ NORTHER  ” 


3 


two  lighters  at  once  a cargo  of  bright  red  dyewood  logs. 
For  Vera  Cruz  is  a busy  port,  despite  the  northers’^; 
the  bulk  of  Mexican  trade  passes  in  and  out  over  its  wharves. 
In  years  to  come  the  northern  port  of  Tampico  is  likely  to 
rob  the  old  town  of  much  of  its  trade;  but  at  the  present 
time  Vera  Cruz  handles  over  a million  tons  of  imports 
annually,  brought  mostly  from  the  United  States  and  Ger- 
many, and  including  machinery,  textiles,  and  such  things 
as  Chicago  beef  and  bacon  and  tinned  meats ; for  Mexico, 
notwithstanding  its  wonderful  soil  and  climates,  is  not  yet 
a self-sustaining  country.  The  exports  are  chiefly  sugar, 
coffee,  tobacco,  rubber,  dyewoods  and  various  tropical 
fruits. 

Our  liner  went  easily  to  her  berth  hard  by  the  little 
island  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa,  with  its  quaint  battlements  of 
gleaming  white;  beneath  the  walls  a group  of  tall  palms 
covered  with  their  masses  of  fan-shaped  leaves  of  vivid 
green  gave  a touch  of  the  tropics  to  the  scene.  Upon  this 
island  Cortes  landed  on  April  21,  1519,  and  here  he  con- 
tinued his  wonderful  career  of  conquest  by  burning  his 
ships  and  marching  away  to  the  Aztec  capital.  The  first 
fort,  of  which  not  a vestige  remains,  was  built  by  the 
Spaniards.  In  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  it  was 
seized  by  that  bluff  English  hero,  Sir  John  Hawkins,  when 
he  entered  the  harbor  to  obtain  provisions  and  repair  his 
storm-beaten  vessels.  Treacherously  attacked  by  a large 
Spanish  squadron  which  afterwards  arrived,  he  was  driven 
from  the  port  with  the  loss  of  most  of  his  ships,  many 
men,  and  much  treasure.  The  ancient  stronghold,  en- 
larged and  rebuilt  at  various  times,  remained  in  Spanish 
hands  for  over  two  centuries.  In  later  times  it  was 
successively  captured  and  occupied  by  the  Americans  in 
1847  and  by  the  French  in  18^.  It  is  now  used  as  a 
prison.  Vera  Cruz  was  originally  named  La  Villa  Rica 


4 


MEXICO 


de  la  Santa  Vera  Cruz  (the  Rich  City  of  the  Holy  True 
Cross)  from  the  reputed  richness  of  the  land  in  gold  and 
the  fact  that  Cortes  landed  on  Good  Friday.  Since  the 
Conquest  it  has  always  been  Mexico’s  most  important 
seaport. 

We  were  not  allowed  to  land  before  the  Mexican  health 
officers  had  come  aboard  and  examined  us.  Havana  is 
regarded  by  the  Mexican  authorities  as  a hotbed  of  yellow 
fever,  and  the  Havana  authorities  regard  Vera  Cruz  in  the 
same  light.  During  the  winter  months  there  is  no  yellow 
fever  in  either  city,  but  that  makes  no  difference  in  their 
fear  of  each  other.  Our  steamer  had  touched  at  Havana, 
and  the  doctors  accordingly  subjected  us  to  a rigorous  ex- 
amination, putting  thermometers  in  our  mouths  to  take 
our  temperatures  and  otherwise  overhauling  us.  As  each 
thermometer  ran  the  gantlet  of  several  mouths,  and  was 
only  slightly  washed  with  antiseptic  between  each,  this 
ordeal  was  not  a pleasant  one.  Some  of  us  began  to  fear 
that  we  might  have  yellow  fever  without  knowing  it,  and 
should  be  hurried  off  to  some  dismal  quarantine  hospital 
to  end  our  days.  It  was  a real  relief  to  find  that  we  had 
not. 

In  the  meantime  a mob  of  gesticulating  porters  or 
cargadores  had  gathered  on  the  wharf,  clamoring  loudly 
for  patronage.  They  were  yellow-skinned  fellows  with 
the  coal-black,  beady,  furtive  eyes  of  the  Indian  half- 
breed.  Most  of  them  simply  wore  a shirt  and  trousers  of 
dirty  white  cotton,  scanty  and  ragged ; a few  had  a loose 
jacket  of  the  same  material;  all  looked  half  frozen  in  the 
‘^norther.”  Some  had  wrapped  a tattered  piece  of  blanket 
about  their  shoulders  to  keep  out  the  cold.  Some  were 
barefooted,  others  wore  sandals  of  a rough-and-ready  kind. 

These  cargadores,  or  burden-bearers,  are  familiar  objects 
throughout  Mexico.  They  are  trained  from  childhood  to 


MEXICO’S  CHIEF  SEAPORT. 

A view  of  Vera  Cruz,,showing  oiie^of  the  great  stone  jettig^ 


TEE  TBOPICS  IN  A ‘‘NOETHER 


5 


carry  heavy  weights,  and  might  also  be  said  to  inherit 
their  wonderful  capacity.  The  Aztecs  had  no  beasts  of 
burden,  and  the  baggage  of  their  armies  was  always  car- 
ried by  cargadores.  The  Spaniards,  having  few  horses, 
continued  this  custom.  Though  most  cargadores  are  not 
particularly  sturdy  in  appearance,  they  can  lift  and  carry 
enormous  loads.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a couple  of 
them  carrying  a piano  through  the  streets.  A trained 
cargador  will  carry  a load  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
over  rough  mountain  trails  and  cover  more  miles  in  a day 
than  a mule.  The  load  is  held  in  place  by  either  a fore- 
head strap  or  a breast  strap  or  a shoulder  strap,  or  by  two 
or  more  of  these  combined.  As  the  cargador  moves  along 
with  his  heavy  load,  there  is  a good  deal  of  straining  of 
the  straps,  reminding  one  of  the  line  in  Omar  Khayyam : 
^^Now  for  the  porter’s  shoulder-knot  a-creaking.”  In 
the  towns  the  cargadores  are  licensed,  and  carry  brass 
plates  on  their  breasts  showing  their  numbers. 

I stepped  ashore,  and  instantly  two  cargadores  seized 
my  luggage.  One  took  my  bags ; the  other,  quite  a slight 
man,  lifted  my  heavy  trunk  on  his  shoulders  and  trotted 
off  to  the  custom-house.  After  the  examination  he  trotted 
off  with  it  to  the  railway  station  about  a mile  away. 

Leaving  the  water  front,  I walked  out  into  the  city 
of  Vera  Cruz,  where  I found  that  outside  the  principal 
thoroughfares  the  streets  were  almost  deserted.  This 
seemed  strange  for  a city  of  thirty  thousand  inhabitants 
until  I remembered  the  ^'norther,”  likewise  the  midday 
siesta  which  is  still  preserved  as  a sacred  custom  even  in 
this  busy  seaport.  A queer,  dingy  old  place  it  looked, 
for  the  most  part,  the  business  places  being  ancient  and 
grimy;  the  sign-boards  with  their  Spanish  wording  were 
faded  and  battered.  The  buildings  and  houses  are  nearly 
all  low,  two-storied  structures  of  solid  stone  or  stucco, 


6 


MEXICO 


seldom  white,  but  generally  tinted  pink,  yellow  or  blue; 
on  the  second  stories  are  bright  green  wooden  or  iron 
balconies  where  the  dark-eyed  senoritas  love  to  sit  at  their 
needlework  and  watch  the  passers-by.  Oil  paint  is  seldom 
used  here  or  anywhere  else  in  Mexico  for  the  exteriors  of 
buildings,  and  the  water-color  or  kalsomine  quickly  fades. 
After  one  rainy  season  it  becomes  soft  and  streaked,  so 
that  even  a new  building  soon  looks  quite  antiquated. 

The  narrow  streets  were  at  that  time  (this  has  been 
altered  since)  paved  with  rough,  unevenly  laid  cobble- 
stones, and  had  open  gutters  in  the  centre.  Small  street- 
cars, painted  bright  yellow  and  drawn  by  two  sturdy  mules, 
ran  through  most  streets,  but  there  were  no  ordinary  car- 
riages of  any  kind  to  be  seen.  I was  told  that  the  bad 
paving  made  it  almost  impossible  to  use  them.  On  Sun- 
days I heard  it  was  quite  the  custom  for  the  townsfolk, 
even  of  the  better  class,  to  ride  up  and  down  the  streets 
in  the  cars,  enjoying  the  air  and  gossiping  with  friends 
who  passed  in  other  cars  — the  Vera  Cruzan  substitute 
for  the  Champs  Elysees  or  Rotten  Row. 

In  the  centre  of  the  town  is  a small  plaza,  planted  with 
palms  and  various  tropical  shrubs,  where  the  local  military 
band  plays  several  nights  a week,  as  is  the  custom  in  all 
Mexican  towns.  On  one  side  of  the  plaza  is  the  cathedral, 
built  in  1734,  though  it  looks  much  older.  Not  far  away 
is  the  church  of  San  Francisco,  founded  in  1568;  its  tower 
is  now  used  as  a lighthouse.  Adjoining  it  is  a convent 
which  has  been  converted  into  a public  library.  The  other 
sides  of  the  plaza  are  occupied  by  the  portales  or  arcades 
found  in  every  Mexican  town.  Here  are  various  shops 
and  cafes  and  one  or  two  hotels.  On  the  sidewalk  outside 
the  cafes  groups  of  men  sit  all  day  and  almost  all  night 
at  small  iron  tables,  forever  drinking  refrescos,  which  are 
cool  Mexican  drinks,  or,  alas,  the  fiery  American  cocktail. 


7 


THE  TROPICS  IN  A ^‘NORTHER 

In  this  quarter  of  the  town  are  the  theatres,  the  exchange, 
and  two  or  three  public  buildings. 

Having  to  change  some  money,  I went  into  a hotel  where 
I was  accommodated  with  Mexican  coin  in  return  for  a small 
discount.  To  my  joy  I found  that  for  every  American 
dollar  I received  two  Mexican.  These  Mexican  dollars, 
called  pesos,  are  not  only  larger  than  the  American  dollar, 
but  contain  a greater  percentage  of  silver,  yet  their  value — 
such  are  the  freaks  of  monetary  systems  — is  only  fifty 
cents.  However,  that  doesn't  matter  much  in  Mexico, 
because  the  purchasing  power  of  the  money  is  on  a Mexican 
basis  too.  Thus,  railway  travel,  hotels  and  most  of  the 
necessaries  of  life  are  somewhat  less  than  in  the  United 
States.  On  the  other  hand,  as  Mexico,  like  this  country, 
goes  in  severely  for  protection,  most  imported  articles  are 
extremely  dear. 

Notwithstanding  the  delight  of  having  one’s  supply  of 
money  automatically  doubled,  there  is  a dark  side  to  this 
bright  picture.  On  this  occasion,  part  of  my  Mexican 
small  change  consisted  of  twenty-five  silver  dollars,  each 
v/eighing  nearly  an  ounce.  I carefully  distributed  these 
throughout  my  various  pockets,  and  thus  burdened,  felt 
like  an  ancient  Spanish  galleon  loaded  with  pieces  of  eight. 
Notes  and  gold  are  in  circulation,  but  they  are  not  always 
easy  to  get ; the  notes,  too,  when  you  get  them,  are  often 
in  a filthy  condition.  Silver,  however,  seems  to  be  pre- 
ferred by  the  Mexicans,  and  they  frequently  carry  their 
available  funds  in  a handbag  strapped  over  the  shoulder. 

The  design  of  the  Mexican  dollar  is  on  the  obverse  the 
cap  of  liberty,  bearing  the  word  ‘^Libertad,”  surrounded 
by  the  rays  of  the  sun ; on  the  reverse  is  the  traditional 
eagle  perched  on  the  cactus,  with  a serpent  in  his  talons. 
Although  the  engraving  is  very  crude,  it  is  impossible  to 
improve  it,  because  the  Chinese^,  who  use  the  Mexican 


8 


MEXICO 


dollars  very  largely  in  their  own  country,  as  being  the 
purest  silver  coin  in  existence,  would  not  accept  them  if 
the  design  were  changed.  At  the  same  time,  the  roughness 
of  the  design  makes  counterfeiting  very  easy  and  its  de- 
tection difficult,  with  the  consequence  that  there  is  much 
bad  money  about  the  country.  Other  silver  coins  are  the 
half  and  quarter  dollars,  and  the  ten  and  five  centavo 
pieces,  the  centavo  being  worth  half  a cent. 

A negro  who  was  lounging  conveniently  outside  the 
hotel  heard  me  asking  my  way,  and  promptly  stepped  up 
with  a polite  bow  and  a cheery  smile.  ‘^Let  me  show  you 
round  the  city,  boss,’^  he  suggested.  He  was  a dapper 
colored  gentleman  of  middle  age,  and  had  that  half-famil- 
iar,  half-deferential  manner  which  distinguishes  the  average 
negro  who  has  been  employed  in  any  serving  capacity. 
Like  most  negroes,  he  was  full  of  good  humor,  and  he  spoke 
Spanish  like  a native.  I accepted  his  offer,  and  we  walked 
on.  As  we  strolled  through  the  streets,  my  companion 
exchanged  smiles  and  greetings  with  sundry  Mexican  ac- 
quaintances, one  or  two  of  them  good-looking  girls  of  the 
humbler  class.  He  bowed  with  exaggerated  politeness 
and  lifted  his  hat  with  the  words,  ^^Que  tal?  senor^^  (How 
goes  it,  sir),  or  ‘^Buenas  dias,  senorita’^  (Good  day,  miss). 

^^You  seem  to  be  very  well  known  here,’^  I remarked. 

“Yes,  sir,’^  replied  the  negro,  with  an  air  of  pride,  “I 
guess  I do  know  quite  a few  people  in  Vera  Cruz.^' 

“How  do  you  like  the  Mexicans?”  I asked. 

“Well,  boss,”  was  the  reply,  “it’s  dis  yer  way:  dere’s 
some  mighty  fine  folks  in  dis  town,  but  Lordy ! most  of 
de  poor  people  are  trifling  and  no  account.  But,”  he  added, 
in  a patronizing  tone,  “what  else  can  you  expect  of  dese 
yer  half-breeds?  No,  indeed,  sir,  you  won’t  find  no  such 
low-down,  no-account  people  in  any  part  of  the  States, 
’deed  you  won’t,  tank  de  Lord. 


THE  TROPICS  IN  A ‘‘NORTHER 


9 


^^Dey’s  mean,  too,  dese  yer  Mexicans,^^  he  went  on; 
‘^dey  count  deir  centavos  like  dey  was  gold.  Give  me 
a genleman  from  New  York  or  Boston.  You  never  see 
^em  counting  of  deir  dollars.^’ 

This  gentle  and  diplomatic  hint  was  thrown  in,  I pre- 
sume, as  our  walk  was  about  to  end.  As  we  were  parting 
company,  the  colored  gentleman,  with  a grin  which  would 
have  made  the  fortune  of  any  negro  comedian,  remarked : 

I’s  proud  o’  meeting  a genleman  from  New  York  or  Boston, 
boss;  dey  jest  naturally  know  how  to  travel.  Dey  ain’t 
like  dese  yer  Mexicans.  Dey’s  all  right.” 

It  is  a curious  fact  that,  although  Mexico  adjoins  the 
United  States,  few  negroes  ever  cross  the  border ; and  most 
of  these  are  found  in  Vera  Cruz  and  other  towns  along  the 
coast.  With  the  exception  of  a few  employed  by  railway 
companies  as  porters  for  Pullman  cars,  there  are  almost 
none  in  the  interior.  The  “nigger”  in  Mexico,  too,  is  far 
from  being  the  subservient  creature  that  he  generally  is 
in  this  country.  The  Mexicans,  perhaps  naturally,  do 
not  feel  the  color  horror  so  general  among  Americans.  A 
negro  is  granted  equality  in  a way  which  astonishes  an 
American;  and  he  is  something  of  a curiosity,  too,  ex- 
citing more  or  less  wonder  in  Mexico  wherever  he  goes. 
In  small  towns  the  natives  stare  at  him  and  children  fol- 
low him.  Mexicans  call  negroes  “negritos,”  and  think 
them  very  amusing.  A woman  of  Indian  blood  would  not 
lose  caste  by  marrying  one. 

The  reason  why  negroes  are  so  scarce  in  Mexico  is  that 
they  cannot  compete  with  the  Indian  population  as  laborers, 
and  the  wages  are  so  small  that  no  American  negro  could 
live  on  them.  Some  years  ago  an  American  company 
brought  down  two  thousand  negroes  to  work  on  a Mexican 
plantation,  paid  them  good  wages  and  fed  them  well.  At 
first  they  were  very  industrious,  and  did  more  work  than 


10 


MEXICO 


the  peons.  Then  they  became  lazy,  many  of  them  took 
Indian  wives,  loafed  about  and  refused  to  work ; so  they 
were  discharged,  and  soon  became  destitute.  The  Mexican 
government  compelled  the  company  to  take  them  back 
to  the  United  States. 

After  my  stroll  round  the  city,  I sat  down  outside  a cafe 
near  the  plaza  to  take,  at  my  leisure,  a first  survey  of  real 
Mexican  life.  The  scene  was  full  of  vivid  contrasts. 
Across  the  street  was  quite  a smart-looking  costumier’s 
shop,  in  the  windows  of  which  were  displayed  some  dainty 
gowns  and  hats . This  was  the  centre  of  attraction  for  many 
well-dressed  women  and  girls,  who  stopped  to  feast  their 
eyes  on  the  fashions.  Only  a few  doors  away  was  a bat- 
tered, tumble-down  drinking  den,  cavernous  in  its  gloomi- 
ness, reeking  of  stale  liquor,  where  scantily  dressed,  bare- 
footed natives  perpetually  passed  in  and  out ; at  the  door 
stood  a lumbering  old  wagon,  drawn  by  two  oxen,  loaded 
with  bananas  — such  a cart  as  might  have  come  over 
from  Spain  with  Cortes.  Then  there  was  civilization 
again  in  the  shape  of  a bank,  quite  a substantial  stone 
building,  where  much  business  was  apparently  being  done. 
Now  and  again,  a Mexican  from  the  country  would  ride 
by  on  a spirited  horse,  his  feet  deep  in  the  national  pocket 
stirrup,  on  his  head  the  steeple-crowned  sombrero,  or  a 
native  milk  vendor,  sitting  almost  on  the  tail  of  his  mule, 
its  back  loaded  with  clattering  milk  tins;  jolting  baggage 
trucks  passed,  driven  by  Indians,  cracking  their  whips 
and  calling  down  perpetual  encouragement  to  their  mules 
of  “Mula,  mula!”  Then  at  noon,  from  the  neighboring 
police  barracks,  trotted  out  a patrol  of  rurales  or  mounted 
police  in  their  neat  gray,  silver-braided,  tight-fitting  uni- 
form and  huge  sombrero,  Winchesters  slung  on  their  backs, 
revolvers  and  swords  at  their  sides. 

But  perhaps  the  most  curious  sight  in  Vera  Cruz  is 


THE  TROPICS  IN  A “NORTHER 


11 


the  city’s  unpaid  scavengers.  Hopping  about  the  streets, 
outside  the  smart  costumier’s,  by  the  cathedral,  alongside 
the  cafes — everywhere,  in  fact  — were  groups  of  zopilotes 
or  turkey  buzzards,  equalling  in  size  the  largest  American 
species.  These  ungainly  birds  act  as  public  scavengers, 
and  are  protected  by  law ; the  fine  for  killing  one  of  them 
is  five  dollars.  Hundreds  of  them  can  be  seen  perched  on 
the  roof  tops  or  the  church  towers,  waddling  about  the 
streets,  fighting  over  all  sorts  of  offal,  or  hurrying  after 
the  street-cleaners  to  claim  the  choicest  bits  of  garbage. 
What  with  the  zopilotes  and  their  human  assistants,  the 
streets  of  the  town  are  kept  quite  decently  clean. 

Until  recent  times,  Vera  Cruz  was  a town  of  bad  drainage 
and  evil  smells,  and  yellow  fever  raged  there  perpetually. 
During  the  summer  months  each  year  the  mortality  was 
often  frightful.  Whole  ships’  crews  were  sometimes  swept 
away  by  this  scourge,  and  an  unacclimatized  traveller 
visiting  the  city  literally  took  his  life  in  his  hands.  A 
few  years  ago  the  city  authorities  set  vigorously  to  work 
to  stamp  out  the  pestilence.  Much  of  the  old  city  was 
demolished,  and  a new  sewerage  system  was  constructed, 
the  sewage  being  taken  out  to  sea,  and  contamination  of 
the  harbor  thus  avoided.  A new  water  supply  was  in- 
stalled, and  a relentless  war  was  waged  against  mosquitoes. 
This  thoroughgoing  hygienic  campaign  ended  in  a victory 
for  the  city’s  health  authorities ; and  now  there  is  practi- 
cally no  yellow  fever  in  the  winter  months,  and  even  in 
the  summer  the  cases  are  few  and  far  between.  There 
were  only  21  deaths  from  the  disease  in  1908,  accord- 
ing to  government  reports.  Unacclimatized  travellers 
who  observe  the  usual  precautions  are  generally  safe  now- 
adays at  all  seasons. 

Strangely  enough^  now  that  Vera  Cruz  has  lost  its  evil 
reputation  as  a plague-stricken  city,  it  has  actually  achieved 


12 


MEXICO 


a new  character  as  a health  resort.  During  the  winter 
months  large  numbers  of  people  flock  thither  from  Mexico 
City  in  search  of  sunshine  and  warmth.  Situated  as  it 
is  in  the  tropical  region  of  Mexico,  Vera  Cruz,  even  when 
a “norther’^  is  blowing,  rarely  has  a temperature  below 
sixty  degrees  Fahrenheit,  the  normal  winter  heat  being 
between  seventy  and  eighty.  The  norther’^  which  was 
blowing  through  the  town  when  we  arrived  was  not  actually 
a cold  wind ; it  was  simply  bracing.  But  the  thin-blooded 
natives  are  so  accustomed  to  tropical  heat  that  a sudden 
drop  in  the  temperature  to  sixty  degrees  causes  general 
suffering,  and  keeps  every  Mexican  indoors  as  much  as 
possible  while  the  wind  is  blowing. 

The  greater  part  of  the  thirty  thousand  inhabitants  of 
Vera  Cruz  are  true  Mexicans,  that  is  to  say,  people  of  mixed 
Indian  and  Spanish  blood.  There  is  a fairly  large  foreign 
element  in  the  city,  consisting  mainly  of  business  men, 
American,  English,  German,  Spanish  and  French.  In  the 
surrounding  country  there  are  a good  many  foreign  planters 
cultivating  sugar-cane,  coffee,  bananas,  etc.  In  Vera 
Cruz,  as  in  all  parts  of  Mexico,  Spanish  is  the  only  European 
language  known  to  the  mass  of  the  people,  although  owing 
to  the  increasing  number  of  Americans  in  the  country  a 
knowledge  of  English  is  gradually  becoming  more  general 
among  Mexican  business  men. 

Vera  Cruz  with  the  norther’^  blowing  was  a place  to 
hurry  away  from,  so  in  the  afternoon  I took  the  train  to 
Orizaba.  This  mountain  town,  situated  4026  feet  above 
sea-level,  amidst  beautiful  scenery,  is  a favorite  health 
resort  for  the  Mexicans.  The  gradient  is  so  steep  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  way  that  the  train  takes  about  five 
hours  to  cover  the  eighty  miles  from  Vera  Cruz. 

On  Mexican  railways  the  trains  are  arranged  in  the  usual 
American  style,  and  American  rolling  stock  is  generally 


A STREET  IN  VERA  CRUZ. 

Ou  the  roofs  are  perched  the  street-cleaning  turkey -buzzards. 


13 


THE  TROPICS  IN  A ‘‘NORTHER 

used.  The  Mexican  Railway,  however  — the  line  between 
Vera  Cruz,  Orizaba  and  Mexico  City  — uses  some  big 
Fairlie  engines  made  in  Glasgow.  The  trains  are  invariably 
divided  into  first,  second,  and  third-class  cars,  the  first- 
class  car  corresponding  to  what  is  usually  called  in  this 
country  ‘‘a  day  coach. Only  the  night  trains  have  Pull- 
man cars  attached  to  them. 

Compared  with  an  American  train,  the  Mexican  Rail- 
way's day  train  seemed  rather  shabby ; the  first-class  car 
was  old  and  worn,  and  furnished  with  black  leather  seats. ‘ 
It  was,  however,  no  worse  than  the  ordinary  first-class 
cars  in  which  I afterwards  travelled  on  other  Mexican 
railways.  The  companies,  I was  told,  could  not  afford 
to  run  Pullman  cars  on  their  day  trains  at  present,  as 
there  are  not  enough  foreign  passengers  to  make  it  pay, 
and  Mexican  travellers  are  usually  too  parsimonious  to 
pay  any  additional  fare  for  the  sake  of  more  comfort. 

About  twenty  passengers  from  the  steamer  had  taken 
tickets  for  Orizaba,  so  that  the  single  first-class  car  was 
fairly  well  filled  when  the  train  started. 

The  Mexican  Railway,  which  is  owned  by  an  English 
company,  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  railway 
ever  built  in  Mexico;  it  was  begun  in  1858  and  finished 
in  1873.  The  track  runs  from  the  lowlands  of  Vera  Cruz 
up  through  the  mountains,  and  is  a marvel  of  engineering. 
Some  of  the  gradients  are  stupendous;  at  one  point  the 
line  reaches  an  altitude  of  over  ten  thousand  feet ; in  some 
places  it  runs  along  the  mountain  side  on  terraces  cut  out 
of  the  solid  rock.  Owing  to  the  magnitude  of  the  work 
and  the  enormous  difficulties  of  laying  the  track,  the  con- 

* A change  for  the  better  has  since  been  made.  The  Mexican 
Railway  Co.  now  runs  some  comfortable,  reclining  chair  cars  for  the 
accommodation  of  first-class  passengers,  and  for  which  no  extra  fare 
is  charged. 


14 


MEXICO 


struction  cost  over  $35,000,000,  or  about  $125,000  a mile. 
The  Mexican  Railway  is  not  only  regarded  as  one  of  the 
best  railroads  in  the  world,  but  as  a scenic  line  it  is  sur- 
passed by  none,  the  views  for  most  part  of  the  way  being 
magnificent. 

The  country  for  miles  round  Vera  Cruz  is  a vast  sandy 
waste  interspersed  with  swamps,  the  haunt  of  herons, 
wild  ducks,  alligators  and  snakes.  This,  at  intervals,  is 
broken  by  dense  woods  filled  with  aromatic  shrubs  and 
gorgeous  wild  flowers  peculiar  to  the  tropics.  Leaving 
this  unwholesome  region,  the  line  runs  through  a succession 
of  banana  ^nd  cocoanut  plantations,  miles  of  coffee  trees, 
with  their  dark,  glossy  leaves  and  bright  red  berries,  forests 
of  palms  and  palmettos,  groves  of  oranges  and  lemons, 
fields  of  pineapples  and  green  sugar-cane.  Novel  as  all 
this  was,  I must  confess  that,  without  the  glare  of  sunshine 
and  the  heat  which  we  have  a right  to  expect  from  the 
tropics,  the  tropical  vegetation  lost  most  of  its  charm. 

We  passed  a number  of  small  stations,  mostly  crude 
structures  of  wood,  usually  set  in  the  midst  of  a grove  of 
palms  or  cocoanut  trees.  Outside  these  a few  yellow- 
skinned, barefooted  natives  would  be  seen,  with  their 
sarapes  or  blankets  drawn  tightly  about  them,  looking 
half  frozen  in  their  thin  cotton  clothing  and  straw  som- 
breros. Some  Americans  who  appeared  to  live  in  the 
district  boarded  the  train,  and  their  talk  was  all  about 
banana-  and  coffee-growing.  But  with  the  cool  weather 
and  the  dark  sky  it  seemed  impossible  to  realize  that  one 
was  actually  in  the  tropics. 

The  first  important  station  at  which  we  stopped  was 
Cordoba,  about  sixty  miles  from  Vera  Cruz.  This  town 
has  an  altitude  of  2713  feet  and  a population  of  ten  thou- 
sand, and  is  just  on  the  border  of  the  sub-tropical  zone. 
It  is  noted  for  its  fruit  and  flowers  as  well  as  for  its  fine 


15 


TEE  TROPICS  IN  A ‘‘NORTHER 

coffee,  of  which  there  are  numerous  plantations  in  the 
neighborhood.  It  is  quite  an  old  town,  having  been 
founded  in  1618  as  a place  of  refuge  from  the  malarial 
fevers  of  the  coast. 

Numerous  beggars,  picturesque  in  their  tattered  garb, 
clamored  round  the  train  for  centavos.  Two  or  three  of 
them  carried  queer-looking  old  harps  and  mandolins,  and 
entertained  us  with  a verse  of  the  Spanish  song.  La  Paloma, 
which  they  sang  in  rather  high-pitched  nasal  tones.  One 
blind  man,  with  a most  saintly  expression,  stood  by  our 
car,  sombrero  in  hand,  beseeching  us  to  be  generous  for 
God’s  sake  — “por  el  amor  de  Dios.”  Another  blind 
beggar,  led  by  his  much-wrinkled,  sad-visaged  Indian  wife, 
gave  an  excellent  imitation  of  various  sounds  peculiar  to 
animal  life,  such  as  the  quacking  of  a duck,  the  clucking 
of  a hen,  the  grunting  of  a pig,  and  the  whistling  of  a mock- 
ing-bird. 

Standing  a little  removed  from  this  motley  swarm  of 
mendicants,  I noticed  a melancholy  looking  Mexican 
wearing  a rather  battered  brown  felt  sombrero,  his  limbs 
encased  in  skin-tight  trousers  of  thin  gray  cloth,  adorned 
with  numerous  patches.  Over  his  shoulders  was  a bright 
red  blanket.  He  was  strumming  away  at  an  old-fash- 
ioned mandolin  and  singing  some  mournful  Spanish  song. 
Catching  sight  of  me,  he  stopped  playing,  and  lifted  his 
sombrero.  I went  out  on  the  car  platform  and  handed 
him  five  cents.  To  my  astonishment,  he  politely  declined 
my  humble  offering.  ^'Senor,”  said  he,  in  choice  Spanish, 
with  some  emotion,  ‘^you  must  pardon  me  for  being  unable 
to  accept  your  gift,  but  I am  a ten-cent  beggar,  senor  (un 
mendigo  de  diez  centavos) , and  never,  never  accept  a smaller 
gratuity.”  Drawing  himself  up  with  an  air  of  pride,  he 
continued,  “I  shall  be  honored  to  sing  for  your  entertain- 
ment a song  of  old  Spain  or  one  of  our  noble  Mexican  airs, 


16 


MEXICO 


but  always  for  a fee  of  ten  cents,  never  for  less,  for  I am 
a ten-cent  beggar,  senor,  poor  as  I am/^ 

It  was  impossible  to  resist  this  touching  protest,  so  with 
an  apology  I handed  the  courtly  vagrant  his  proper  fee, 
which  he  acknowledged  with  ^^a  thousand  thanks’^  (Mil 
gracias,  senor)  and  a graceful  bow.  At  the  other  end  of 
the  car  the  mob  of  beggars  were  scrambling  for  copper 
coins  thrown  to  them  by  my  fellow-passengers.  The  mel- 
ancholy minstrel  glanced  at  them,  shrugged  his  shoulders 
and  waved  his  hand  deprecatingly.  ‘‘Ah,  senor/^  he  ob- 
served, “those  poor  people,  they  have  to  work  hard  for 
their  bread ; good  folk,  worthy  folk,  well  deserving  of  your 
charity ; but  they  give  you  a very  bad  impression  of  Mexico. 
Pray,  senor,  do  not  class  them  with  poor  musicians  like 
myself.’^  With  these  words  he  commenced  twanging  his 
discordant  instrument  again,  and  once  more  burst  into  a 
song  so  dismal  that  it  seemed  to  make  the  gloomy 
weather  even  more  depressing.  Fortunately,  our  train 
commenced  to  move  on  a few  moments  later,  and  Cordoba 
and  the  courtly  ten-cent  beggar  were  soon  lost  to  view. 

During  our  short  stop  at  the  station,  Indian  women 
and  children  had  offered  us  fruit  and  flowers  at  tempting 
prices;  large  bunches  of  camellias  for  a few  centavos, 
luscious  pineapples  of  six  to  eight  pounds  for  ten  cents 
apiece,  all  the  bananas  and  oranges  you  could  carry,  for 
a few  cents.  Cordoba  well  maintained  its  reputation  as 
a place  of  fruit  and  flowers. 

As  we  travelled  farther  from  Vera  Cruz  there  was  a 
noticeable  drop  in  the  temperature,  and  while  it  was  not 
cold,  still  one  would  have  welcomed  the  prospect  of  arriv- 
ing at  a comfortable  country  house  with  a cheerful  wood 
fire  blazing  in  the  hall.  No  doubt  the  black  sky  and  the 
rain  which  began  to  fall  had  something  to  do  with  this 
feeling,  but  the  altitude  probably  had  much  more. 


THE  TROPICS  IN  A NORTHER  It 

In  Mexico  almost  everything  depends  on  the  altitude, 
and  it  is  to  altitude  that  Mexico  owes  its  three  climates.' 
Being  well  within  the  tropics  and  near  the  equator,  it  is 
naturally  always  thought  of  as  a warm  country,  but  only 
parts  deserve  this  character.  Geographically  speaking, 
Mexico  is  situated  in  North  America.  It  has  a maximum 
length  of  1990  miles,  is  540  miles  across  at  the  widest  point, 
and  has  a coast  line  of  over  6000  miles. 

On  one  side  of  this  great  country  is  the  Atlantic  or  Gulf 
Coast,  and  on  the  other  the  Pacific.  Along  both  coasts 
there  is  a broad,  flat  tract  called  the  tierra  caliente  or  ^‘hot 
land,^^  which  is  wholly  tropical.  In  this  region  grow 
tropical  fruits  and  flowers  of  all  kinds.  Here,  too,  are  vast 
forests  with  a jungle  of  creeping  plants,  where  are  found 
mahogany  and  numerous  valuable  dye  woods,  which  are 
exported  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Much  of  this  tropical 
region  is  unhealthful,  though  the  winds  from  the  sea 
generally  mitigate  the  heat  during  the  middle  of  the  day, 
and  the  nights  and  mornings,  as  a rule,  are  pleasantly 
cool. 

As  you  travel  inland  from  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific  coasts, 
the  country  constantly  rises,  until  in  the  interior  it  reaches 
an  altitude  of  six  or  seven  thousand  feet.  A good  idea  of 
this  peculiar  topography  is  given  by  the  following  cut, 
which  shows  the  profile  of  the  country  between  the  ports  of 
Tampico  and  Manzanillo  on  the  eastern  and  western  coasts. 


c 


18 


MEXICO 


At  an  altitude  of  four  thousand  feet  or  more,  a sub- 
tropical region  known  as  the  tierra  templada,  or  temperate 
land,  is  reached,  where  the  climate  is  perpetually  delightful. 

A third  region,  six  thousand  feet  or  more  above  sea-level, 
is  called  the  tierra  fria  or  cold  land,  although  it  is  not 
actually  cold,  for  the  mean  temperature  is  not  lower  than 
that  of  central  Italy.  In  brief,  perpetual  summer,  eternal 
spring,  and  a temperature  rarely  cold  enough  for  snow  or 
ice  are  the  climatic  joys  which  Mexico  offers  to  the  shiv- 
ering American  who  travels  southward  in  midwinter  to 
escape  from  the  blizzards  of  the  north. 


One  penny,  sefior,  for  God’s  sake 


CHAPTER  II 


FKOM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 

Nearly  four  centuries  ago  the  soldiers  of  Cortes,  march- 
ing over  the  mountains  from  the  coast  to  the  Aztec  capital, 
came  to  an  Indian  town  situated  in  a beautiful  valley, 
intersected  by  rushing  streams  which  kept  it  forever  green. 
The  natives  called  the  place  Ahauializapan  or  ^^joy  in  the 
waters.’^  The  Spaniards,  with  their  usual  avidity,  took 
possession  of  this  attractive  spot,  but  after  heroic  efforts 
to  pronounce  its  name,  they  wisely  changed  it  to  Orizaba. 
Under  Spanish  rule,  a new  town  arose  on  the  site  of  the  old, 
and  this  became,  in  time,  one  of  the  most  important  places 
in  Mexico.  For  generations  Orizaba  was  a haven  of  refuge 
for  people  who  fled  from  the  pestilent  coast  during  the 
yellow-fever  season  to  seek  health  in  the  pure  mountain 
air.  In  later  times  it  was  a favorite  resort  of  the  Emperor 
Maximilian,  who,  during  his  brief  reign,  often  sought  rest 
and  quiet  in  the  quaint  old  town.  To-day  it  is  a popular 
health  resort,  and  has  a host  of  visitors  the  year  round, 
its  climate  being  perfect  and  its  scenery  charming. 

I did  not  see  Orizaba  under  its  best  aspect,  for  like  many 
other  places,  it  has  its  dreary  days.  Pursued  by  the 
^‘norther,’’  I reached  the  ancient  city  at  seven  in  the  even- 
ing, to  find  a heavy  rain  falling,  while  the  chilly  air  was 
reminiscent  of  an  American  November  rather  than  what 
one  expects  in  the  Mexican  sub-tropics.  Some  Indian 
urchins,  looking  pinched  and  cold  in  their  ragged  clothing 
and  bare  feet,  surrounded  me  as  I left  the  train,  offering 

19 


20 


MEXICO 


to  carry  my  bags.  They  were  pushed  aside  by  a pictur- 
esque-looking ruffian  wearing  a huge  steeple-crowned  som- 
brero and  swathed  in  a heavy  red  blanket  drawn  up  to  chin 
height.  He  was  an  Orizaban  cab  driver,  and  he  under- 
took to  drive  me  to  my  hotel  in  his  cab  or  cochcj  a heavy, 
lumbering  vehicle  of  the  station-fly  order,  with  a capacious 
leather  hood.  It  was  drawn  by  two  vigorous  mules,  and 
it  needed  them,  for  the  paving  of  Orizaba’s  streets  was  even 
worse  than  that  of  Vera  Cruz. 

I took  a seat  in  the  coche  and  was  soon  jolting  through 
some  narrow  streets  lined  with  low,  flat-roofed  houses  and 
buildings,  seldom  over  a story  high,  and  quite  Moorish- 
looking.  All  were  of  the  same  washed-out  tints  of  pink, 
yellow  and  blue.  The  upper  windows,  I noticed,  were 
rarely  glazed,  but  simply  provided  with  wooden  shutters ; 
while  the  lower  windows  v/ere  crossed  with  thick,  prison- 
like bars  of  iron,  not  only  as  a protection  against  thieves, 
but  to  guard  the  Juliets  of  the  household  from  their  swarthy 
Romeos.  This,  of  course,  applies  to  the  habitations  of 
the  well-to-do.  The  poor  in  Mexican  towns  invariably 
live  in  mere  hovels  of  unbaked  brick  of  only  one  story, 
looking  like  rows  of  stables.  They  have  no  windows,  and 
light  is  admitted  through  the  doorway  only.  When  a 
norther  is  blowing,  the  door  is  kept  tightly  closed,  and  the 
shivering  inmates  endeavor,  by  excluding  the  fresh  air, 
to  keep  life  in  their  thin-blooded  bodies.  I noticed  that 
very  few  of  the  shops  of  Orizaba  had  glazed  windows,  but 
were  mostly  open  to  the  street  somewhat  after  the  fashion 
of  English  butchers’  shops ; some  were  lighted  with  flaming 
oil  lamps,  and  others  with  gas.  All  the  streets  were  well 
lit  with  electric  light.  It  was  Saturday  night,  and  despite 
the  rain,  the  streets  were  crowded  with  dark-skinned  natives 
in  their  picturesque  attire. 

The  dress  of  the  poorer  classes,  the  Indians,  called  peons, 


FROM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


21 


is  much  the  same  throughout  Mexico.  Men  wear  a loose 
suit  of  white  linen,  coat  and  trousers,  sometimes  no  coat, 
the  shade  of  whiteness  varying  in  accordance  with  the  clean- 
liness of  the  owner.  Sometimes  the  clothing  is  white 
(soon  after  washday ),  sometimes  it  is  a cream  hue,  but  usu- 
ally it  is  a dark  gray  ! The  trousers  are  often  rolled  up  to 
the  knee,  and  the  native  goes  about  with  bare  legs  and  feet. 
Sometimes  the  trousers  reach  to  the  ankles,  and  he  is  pro- 
vided with  sandals  strapped  over  his  bare  feet.  Stockings 
are  never  worn.  On  his  head  the  peon  wears  a huge  steeple- 
crowned  straw  sombrero,  with  the  brim  anything  up  to  two 
feet  wide.  This  is  sometimes  used  as  a basket.  I often 
saw  Indians  in  the  market  buying  fish  or  vegetables  and 
carrying  them  off  in  the  brims  of  their  hats. 

In  addition  to  his  linen  suit  and  straw  sombrero,  the  peon 
has  a woollen  blanket  or  sarape  (pronounced  sah-rah-pay) . 
This  is  usually  of  bright  red,  with  black  stripes  at  each  end. 
Sometimes  it  has  a slit  in  the  middle  through  which  he 
thrusts  his  head,  the  blanket  falling  over  the  body  like  a 
shawl.  During  the  heat  of  the  day  the  sarape  is  folded  and 
carried  over  the  left  shoulder.  It  serves  the  double  purpose 
of  a garment  by  day  and  a blanket  by  night,  for  the  peon 
sleeps  under  it. 

Mexicans  of  a higher  class,  when  they  can  afford  it,  will 
often  buy  a felt  sombrero  — the  felt  about  a quarter  of  an 
inch  thick  — decorated  with  gold  and  silver  tinsel  embroid- 
ery. In  country  places  the  wealth  of  a man  is  usually 
shown  by  the  style  of  his  hat.  Some  of  the  finer  embroid- 
ered sombreros  cost  over  a hundred  dollars.  For  riding, 
extremely  tight  skin-fitting  trousers,  edged  with  small 
metal  buttons,  are  commonly  worn,  accompanied,  in  some 
cases,  with  a heavily  braided,  short  bolero  coat  ornamented 
with  bright  buttons.  This,  with  the  gorgeous  sombrero, 
makes  a very  picturesque  costume.  In  the  towns  and 


22 


MEXICO 


cities,  however,  the  middle  and  upper  classes  dress  like 
Europeans. 

The  Indian  women  are  usually  dressed  in  some  cheap 
kind  of  calico,  the  favorite  material  being  a plain  blue  dotted 
with  white,  or  white  dotted  with  blue,  and  all  of  them  wear 
a shawl  or  mantilla  called  the  rehosa.  This  is  generally  of 
some  thin  woollen  or  cotton  stuff,  and  is  always  of  a faded 
blue  tint.  It  is  usually  draped  tightly  over  the  head, 
leaving  only  the  face  exposed.  Thus  attired,  they  have 
a strong  resemblance  to  the  women  of  the  East,  and  this  is 
especially  noticeable  when  you  meet  one  of  them  coming 
from  a village  well,  bearing  a pitcher  gracefully  poised  on 
her  head.  As  a rule,  the  women  have  an  unkempt,  be- 
draggled appearance,  and  their  coarse  black  hair  is  worn  in 
two  untidy  plaits. 

The  children  of  the  poor  have  a very  queer  appearance, 
looking  exactly  like  little  men  and  women.  Boys  dress 
just  like  their  fathers,  having  the  same  linen  suits,  big 
straw  sombreros  and  red  sarapes ; girls  wear  the  same  long 
dresses  and  blue  rebosas  as  their  mothers. 

At  first  sight,  the  Mexican  Indians  seemed  to  me  to  be 
a very  melancholy  race,  and  this  first  impression  was  con- 
firmed by  what  I afterwards  saw  of  them.  As  we  drove 
through  the  streets  of  Orizaba,  filled  with  the  passing  throngs 
of  natives,  moving  silently,  barefooted  or  shod  with  noise- 
less sandals,  there  was  rarely  the  sound  of  laughter;  nor 
was  there  any  roughness  or  horseplay  such  as  one  would 
have  noticed  in  an  American  street  filled  with  Saturday- 
night  shoppers.  Strings  of  children  glided  along  silently 
after  their  parents,  wonderfully  subdued  and  grave,  rarely 
exchanging  a word. 

The  shops  were,  of  course,  decorated  with  Spanish  sign- 
boards, the  fondas  (grocers)  and  dulcerias  (confectioners) 
being  the  most  noticeable.  Here  and  there,  however,  there 


A TYPICAL  PEON  MEXICAN  RIDING  COSTUME. 

Wearing  the  sarape  and  sombrero.  Still  popular  in  country  districts. 


FROM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


23 


were  indications  of  an  American  invasion,  for  over  some 
of  the  buildings  were  big  sign-boards  advertising  Dr.  Dash, 
American  Physician, or  Dr.  Blank,  American  Dentist.” 
In  most  Mexican  cities  nowadays  there  are  several  American 
doctors  and  dentists.  Some  of  the  shops,  apparently  Amer- 
ican, had  English  as  well  as  Spanish  signs,  and  proclaimed 
themselves  “The  United  States  Grocery  Co.,”  with  “Goods 
at  cut  prices,”  or  the  “ American-Mexican  Canning  Co.” 

In  less  than  ten  minutes  my  coche  took  me  to  the  Hotel 
de  France,  which  I found  to  be  an  excellent  establishment ; 
in  fact,  it  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  hotels 
in  Mexico.  It  is  conducted  by  an  enterprising  Frenchman. 

Arranged  on  much  the  same  plan  as  many  Spanish  hotels, 
this  Mexican  hotel  was  a large,  square,  stone  building 
having  a central  courtyard  or  patio,  paved  with  tiles,  open 
to  the  sky,  and  centred  by  a fountain  surrounded  with 
palms  and  flowers.  From  here  flights  of  stone  steps  led 
to  the  upper  stories,  outside  each  of  which  there  was  a wide 
tiled  gallery  extending  completely  round  the  patio.  The 
rooms  were  entered  from  these  galleries,  and  some  which  had 
no  outside  windows  were  lighted  by  tinted  glass  panels  in 
the  doors.  The  bedrooms  had  tiled  floors,  each  was  sup- 
plied with  one  or  two  rugs,  and  the  bedsteads  were  of  iron, 
a very  good  plan  in  a country  where  fleas  and  other  insect 
pests  are  too  common.  Most  of  the  Mexican  hotels  are 
arranged  and  furnished  in  this  way.  The  rooms  are  in- 
variably neat  and  well-kept,  and  the  bedding,  strange  to 
say,  in  a land  where  cleanliness  is  not  always  regarded 
as  a virtue,  is  usually  clean  and  fresh. 

My  Orizaba  hotel  had  another  feature  which  is  common  to 
hotels  throughout  Mexico.  Just  inside  the  entrance  there 
was  a small  office  where  guests  signed  the  register  and  ar- 
ranged for  their  rooms.  Outside  the  office  there  was  a 
large  blackboard  with  the  numbers  of  the  rooms  arranged 


24 


MEXICO 


. in  rows.  As  soon  as  a room  was  assigned  to  a new  arrival, 
his  name  was  written  with  chalk  on  this  blackboard  oppo- 
site to  the  number  of  his  room.  Any  one  could  thus  see 
at  a glance  who  was  stopping  at  the  hotel. 

Chambermaids,  I discovered,  are  seldom  employed  in 
Mexican  hotels,  their  places  being  taken  by  men-of-all- 
work,  sometimes  young,  sometimes  elderly,  called  mozos 
(boys).  There  is  a mozo  on  each  floor  who  acts  as  boot- 
black,  porter,  messenger  and  chambermaid ; he  takes  away 
one’s  linen  to  some  remote  laundry  and  brings  it  back  the 
next  day,  clean  and  snowy  white.  In  the  larger  towns 
the  mozo  often  speaks  a little  English  and  acts  as  interpre- 
ter for  guests  who  do  not  understand  Spanish.  In  the 
American  hotels  in  Mexico  he  is  less  in  evidence,  as  these 
establishments  usually  employ  chambermaids. 

The  Mexican  hotels  are  comfortable  enough  for  the 
average  traveller,  and  if  the}^  had  only  been  made  sound- 
proof they  would  be  still  nearer  perfection.  I thought  so, 
at  least,  when  I was  awakened  about  six  o’clock  the  next 
morning  by  a terrible  clanging  of  church  bells.  This  was 
my  first  experience  of  what  I afterwards  found  to  be  the 
greatest  public  nuisance  in  Mexico.  The  Mexican  churches 
do  not  possess  sweet  chimes,  but  generally  have  from  one 
to  half  a dozen  large,  harsh-toned  bells.  Commencing  early 
in  the  morning,  and  continuing  at  frequent  intervals  during 
the  day,  a muscular  peon  clutching  a rope  attached  to  the 
bell-clapper  clangs  away  with  all  his  strength,  making  an 
awful  din.  Sometimes  he  wields  a sort  of  sledge-hammer, 
beating  the  bell  from  the  outside  with  all  the  vigor  of  a 
village  blacksmith.  When  all  the  church  bells  in  a town 
are  kept  clanging  in  this  way,  the  din  is  deafening. 

Unable  to  enjoy  any  more  sleep  on  account  of  these  ec- 
clesiastical instruments  of  torture,  I went  down  to  an  early 
breakfast  and  afterwards  took  a stroll  through  the  town. 


FBOM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


25 


Although  the  rain  had  stopped^the  sky  was  still  overcast, 
and  the  mountains  were  wreathed  with  white  clouds. 
Along  the  streets  poured  a steady  stream  of  Indian  men 
and  women  returning  from  early  mass,  tramping  patiently 
through  the  mud,  the  majority  of  them  being  barefooted. 
The  men  had  their  red  blankets  drawn  tightly  round  them, 
looking  half  frozen,  although  the  air  was  as  mild  as  an  early 
summer  morning.  Only  the  poorer  classes  attend  early 
mass.  Later  on  I saw  numbers  of  white  women  and  a few 
men  walking  and  driving  to  the  eleven  o’clock  service. 
I also  noticed  several  men  whom  I instinctively  recognized 
as  priests  despite  their  dress,  which  is  not  what  one  is  ac- 
customed to  see  in  other  Catholic  countries.  The  laws 
having  forbidden  them  to  appear  in  public  in  their  clerical 
dress,  the  Mexican  priests  have  adopted  the  plan  of  wearing 
a peculiar  black  cloak  which,  while  not  exactly  ecclesiastical, 
is  not  worn  by  men  of  any  other  class.  With  this  they  wear 
an  ordinary  derby  or  silk  hat.  The  cloak  enables  them  to 
be  distinguished  a long  way  off.  Some  zealous  opponents 
of  the  church  want  to  have  this  cloak  declared  illegal  and 
various  other  anti-church  laws  enforced. 

There  are  some  fine  old  churches  in  Orizaba  dating  from 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries ; the  oldest,  called 
Santa  Teresa,  was  built  in  1564.  The  cathedral,  which 
stands  in  the  main  plaza,  was  built  in  1720,  and  is  a large, 
imposing  edifice. 

A stroll  through  Orizaba  gives  one  a very  good  idea  of 
the  arrangement  of  Mexican  towns  which,  following  the 
Spanish  system,  were  all  originally  built  round  a public 
square  or  plaza.  As  the  towns  have  increased  in  size, 
similar  plazas,  which  are  sometimes  called  alamedas,  have 
been  provided,  until  each  quarter  eventually  has  one  of 
these  little  parks.  Orizaba  has  several  of  them.  On  one 
side  of  the  plaza  in  the  average  Mexican  small  town  there 


26 


MEXICO 


is  generally  the  principal  church  and  the  municipal  building 
or  city  hall.  The  lower  story  of  the  latter  is  usually  formed 
of  arcades  called  portales,  which  are  the  centre  of  business, 
and  there  the  citizens  rest  and  take  their  liquid  refreshment. 
The  plaza  serves  as  the  general  breathing  place,  and  in  the 
smaller  towns  the  market  is  held  in  it.  On  Sundays  and 
feast-days  a band  usually  plays  there ; in  the  larger  towns 
a military  band,  and  in  the  smaller  a municipal  or  police 
band.  The  military  bands,  as  a rule,  are  excellent,  for  the 
Indians  have  a natural  ear  for  music.  It  is  very  interesting 
to  see  these  swarthy  musicians  rendering  classical  com- 
positions, such  as  selections  from  ^^Tannhauser’^  and 
Lohengrin,’^  for  there  seems  to  be  so  little  in  common 
between  German  legend  and  song  and  the  descendants  of 
the  Aztecs. 

Orizaba  is  a large,  straggling  place,  but  clean  and  well 
kept,  with  a population  of  thirty-five  thousand.  It  lies 
in  a beautiful  valley,  and  towering  above  the  wooded,  ever 
green  mountains  which  look  down  upon  it  rises  the  great 
snow-capped  peak  of  Mount  Orizaba,  over  eighteen  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  surrounding 
country  is  wonderfully  fertile,  and  there  are  numerous 
sugar  and  coffee  plantations.  Through  the  middle  of  the 
town  there  flows  a rushing,  foaming  stream,  spanned  by 
ancient  arched  bridges  of  massive  stone;  and  along  its 
banks  the  Indian  women  may  be  seen  during  the  day  vig- 
orously washing  the  clothes  which  seem  to  attract  dirt  so 
quickly  and  are  so  seldom  clean. 

Although  situated  in  the  temperate  zone,  the  town  is 
just  on  the  border  of  the  tropics ; it  has  the  moisture  of  the 
lowlands,  with  the  cool  breezes  of  the  uplands,  and  is  there- 
fore one  of  the  finest  winter  resorts  in  Mexico,  the  climate 
being  always  mild.  It  is  very  healthy,  and  has  none  of  the 
annoying  insects  or  tropical  fevers  of  the  hot  region.  With 


FROM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


21 


its  soft-tinted,  one-storied  buildings,  with  their  red-tiled 
roofs,  and  its  background  of  green  mountains,  the  old  town 
is  wonderfully  picturesque.  The  natives  take  life  easily, 
in  spite  of  which  the  place  has  a cheerful  air  of  prosperity. 
Like  the  Spaniards,  they  seem  to  possess  that  happy  faculty 
of  postponing  disagreeable  things  until  manana  — the  mor- 
row. A restful,  dreamy  atmosphere  hangs  over  the  ancient 
city,  and  this  I afterwards  felt  in  some  other  Mexican  towns. 

As  it  was  Sunday  morning  when  I took  my  walk,  the 
streets  were,  of  course,  unusually  quiet.  At  intervals  a 
small  street-car,  drawn  by  two  mules,  passed  leisurely  along 
the  main  street  — a remarkably  wide  thoroughfare — 
from  the  railway  station  to  the  other  end  of  the  town. 
Nobody  seemed  to  hurry,  and  that  good  old  maxim,  ^‘To 
save  time  is  to  lengthen  life,^'  was  apparently  unknown  to 
the  placid  Orizabans.  I was  informed,  however,  that  a 
great  change  was  in  prospect;  for  in  the  course  of  a few 
months  the  town  was  to  appear  in  all  the  glory  of  asphalt 
paving,  and  the  slow-moving  mule-car  was  to  be  replaced 
by  swift  American  electric  traction.  Perhaps  this  entrance 
of  American  progress  may  prove  to  be  the  serpent  in  the 
Orizaban  Paradise,  and  will  some  day  replace  the  ease  and 
quietness  of  the  old  town  with  all  the  excitement  of 
American  hustle. 

Founded  by  the  Spaniards  and  inhabited  by  their  de- 
scendants, Orizaba  naturally  retains  many  features  of  the 
life  of  old  Spain,  and  the  same  thing  can  be  said  of  all  the 
old  towns  and  cities  of  Mexico.  As  I strolled  along  its 
narrow,  cobble-paved  streets  that  Sunday  morning,  I could 
easily  have  imagined  myself  in  Toledo  or  Granada ; and  the 
impression  was  heightened  by  the  appearance  of  the  Span- 
ish-looking,  Spanish-speaking  people  who  passed  on  their 
way  to  church.  Many  of  the  women  wore  the  black  man- 
tilla gracefully  draped  round  their  heads;  the  men,  for 


28 


MEXICO 


the  most  part,  wore  clothes  of  semi-American  cut,  with  soft 
felt  or  derby  hats,  though  one  occasionally  appeared  in  the 
national  sombrero. 

In  one  of  the  back  streets  I witnessed  a scene  which 
was  even  more  typically  Spanish,  when  I came  to  a queer 
old  drinking  place  filled  with  peons  enjoying  their  Sunday- 
morning dram.  Attracted  by  the  sound  of  music,  I glanced 
through  the  wide  open  doorway  into  the  vault-like  interior, 
with  its  grimy,  time-stained  walls,  where  numerous  barrels 
stood  on  the  rough  stone  flagging.  A brigandish-looking 
half-breed,  with  a bright  red  handkerchief  tied  about  his 
head,  was  strumming  a guitar  and  singing  what  seemed 
to  be  a wild  gypsy  song.  His  audience  of  peons  were 
standing  about  the  place  or  squatting  on  the  barrels. 

A few  minutes  later,  when  the  song  had  ended,  a half- 
breed  of  rather  intelligent  appearance  walked  in,  carrying 
a newspaper  in  his  hand.  On  the  back  of  his  head  was  a new 
felt  sombrero,  and  he  wore  a decent  suit  of  clothes,  which 
made  him  look  quite  a superior  order  of  being  to  the  scantily 
dressed  Indians  in  the  drinking  den.  Lifting  his  hat  in 
salute,  the  newcomer  said,  “Senores,  with  your  permis- 
sion, I will  entertain  you  with  the  news.^^  The  suggestion 
was  evidently  received  with  favor,  for  several  of  the  peons 
responded  with  “Bueno,  bueno’’  (Good,  good).  With  this 
encouragement,  the  man  with  the  newspaper  leaped  on 
to  one  of  the  barrels  and  commenced  reading  a news 
item. 

Owing  to  widespread  illiteracy  among  the  poorer  classes, 
public  newspaper  readers  of  this  sort  have  become  a fea- 
ture of  Mexican  life.  Very  few  men  of  the  peon  class  are 
able  to  read  or  write,  though  compulsory  education  has 
been  introduced  in  recent  times.  Thus  it  is  that  the  news- 
paper reader  is  enabled  to  earn  a living  by  making  the 
rounds  of  the  drinking  places  and  reciting  the  news  of  the 


FROM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


29 


day.  A certain  amount  of  literary  skill  is  required  to  follow 
this  strange  calling  successfully;  the  reader  is,  in  fact,  a 
sort  of  peripatetic  news  editor,  for  he  selects  only  two  or 
three  items  which  he  knows  will  please  his  audience.  The 
Orizaban  reader,  for  instance,  started  with  the  most  im- 
portant topic  of  the  day.  He  commenced  upon  an  article 
which  discussed  the  financial  panic  then  in  progress  in  the 
United  States,  and  the  hard  times  it  had  caused  in  Mexico 
through  the  closing  of  mines  and  other  enterprises  controlled 
by  Americans . Things  were  improving,  said  the  newspaper, 
and  thousands  of  Mexicans  who  had  lost  employment  would 
soon  be  going  back  to  work  and  earning  plenty  of  money 
to  buy  food  and  drink. 

Some  of  the  peons  in  the  audience  apparently  belonged 
to  the  great  army  of  unemployed,  for  they  shook  their 
heads  and  shrugged  their  shoulders  at  the  mention  of 
work.^^  They  brightened  up,  however,  at  the  magic  word 
^^drink,’^  and  applauded  by  rapping  their  glasses  on  the 
barrel-tops  and  giving  vent  to  a chorus  of  “Buenos.’^ 

The  reader  next  selected  what  journalists  would  call  a 
^‘human-interest  story.'’  In  tragic  tones,  with  appro- 
priate gestures,  he  entertained  his  audience  with  a despatch 
from  northern  Mexico  which  related  how  a drink-crazed 
peasant  had  set  fire  to  the  hut  of  a neighbor  with  whom 
he  had  a feud,  shooting  down  his  enemy  as  he  attempted 
to  escape,  and  despatching  him  with  a knife.  Pursued  by 
the  rurales,  the  murderer  had  fallen  riddled  with  bullets 
after  opening  fire  on  his  pursuers.  This  “top  of  the  col- 
umn” story  seemed  to  excite  intense  interest,  and  at  its 
conclusion  there  was  another  outburst  of  “Bravo,” 
“ Muy  bien,”  and  such  comments  as  “Buen  hombre” 
(Good  man),  “ Hombre  valiente ” (Brave  fellow) . Leaping 
down  from  his  perch,  the  itinerant  editor  went  round, 
sombrero  in  hand,  making  a collection;  then  bowing 


30 


MEXICO 


politely,  with  a ^^Buenas  dias,  senores/^  he  sauntered  off 
to  the  next  drinking  place. 

I had  a delightful  walk  through  Orizaba’s  principal  resi- 
dential quarter,  where  old  Spanish-looking  mansions  of 
crumbling  stone  were  set  in  the  midst  of  large  gardens, 
beautifully  shaded  with  palms,  orange  trees  and  other 
tropical  growths.  In  the  Alameda,  lined  with  venerable 
trees  and  adorned  with  statuary  and  fountains,  I found  a 
wealth  of  flowers  — oleanders  and  lilies  and  geraniums 
of  all  shades,  in  full  bloom.  Here,  too,  there.were  swarms 
of  blackbirds,  hopping  about  the  shady  walks  and  perching 
in  the  trees,  piping  merrily.  There  were  myriads  of  these 
birds  all  over  the  town,  and  they  seemed  to  be  as  prolific  as 
sparrows  in  our  cities. 

Lounging  about  the  street  corners  or  squatting  along  the 
curb,  smoking  and  gossiping  in  their  quiet  way,  were  nu- 
merous Indian  men  and  women,  many  of  whom  had  evi- 
dently come  in  from  the  country.  Though  they  all  seemed 
wretchedly  poor,  their  faces  bore  a look  of  patient  content- 
ment, and  occasionally  one  would  actually  smile  at  some 
choice  bit  of  repartee.  Near  an  old  bridge,  in  the  main 
street,  spanning  the  mountain  stream,  there  sat  an  old 
Indian  dame,  in  a much-worn  rebosa,  placidly  puffing  a 
cigarette.  Before  her  was  spread  a poor  little  stock  con- 
sisting of  half  a dozen  bananas,  two  or  three  oranges  and  a 
few  sweets.  As  I stood  there,  a small  mongrel  dog  came  up 
and  sniffed  at  her  wares.  Seizing  a stick,  the  old  woman 
dealt  the  animal  a vicious  blow  and  he  ran  off  yelping  down 
the  street. 

An  ill-tempered,  cruel  race,  these  Indians,  I thought; 
but  a moment  later  I gained  a different  impression,  when 
there  came  along  a small  barefooted,  grave-looking  Indian 
urchin,  scantily  dressed  in  ragged  cotton  clothing,  with  a 
piece  of  old  bagging  about  his  shoulders.  He  halted  near 


A VIEW  IN  ORIZABA. 


FROM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


31 


the  little  pile  of  fruits  and  sweets  and  gazed  wistfully  at 
them.  Catching  sight  of  him,  the  old  woman’s  face  under- 
went a remarkable  change,  and  actually  took  on  an  expres- 
sion of  benevolence.  Picking  up  a bright  red  stick  of  candy 
from  her  little  stock,  she  held  it  towards  the  child.  “ Here, 
niho,”  she  said,  “this  is  yours.”  As  he  took  it  with  a 
polite  “Gracias,  senora,”  the  old  dame  gave  him  a kindly 
pat  on  his  closely  cropped  head  and  sent  him  off  overflow- 
ing with  happiness.  This  I afterwards  discovered  to  be 
typical  of  the  Indians  of  Mexico,  — full  of  the  most  amaz- 
ing contrasts  of  cruelty  and  kindness,  at  once  hateful  and 
admirable. 

The  public  market  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  sights  of 
Orizaba,  with  its  array  of  tropical  fruits  and  flowers,  and 
their  vendors  in  the  bright  costumes  of  a tropical  clime. 
It  has  probably  not  materially  altered  since  the  days  of  the 
Aztecs.  In  a description  of  ancient  Mexico,  Bernal  Diaz, 
one  of  the  followers  of  Cortes,  expresses  surprise  at  the  large 
crowds  of  people  which  were  seen  in  the  Aztec  towns,  the 
order  which  prevailed  and  the  variety  of  merchandise 
displayed.  In  his  account,  he  says:  “The  meat  market 
was  stocked  with  fowls,  game  and  dogs.  Vegetables, 
fruits,  articles  of  food  ready-dressed,  salt,  bread,  honey 
and  sweet  pastry,  made  in  various  ways,  were  also  sold  here. 
Other  places  in  the  market  were  appointed  to  the  sale  of 
earthenware,  wooden  household  furniture,  such  as  tables 
and  benches,  firewood,  pipes,  tobacco,  copper  axes,  and 
working  tools  and  wooden  vessels  highly  painted.  The 
entire  square  was  enclosed  in  piazzas  under  which  great 
quantities  of  grain  were  stored,  and  there  were  also  shops 
for  various  kinds  of  goods.”  The  markets  in  Mexican 
towns  are  to-day  practically  the  same.  Low  piazzas  of 
solid  stone  enclose  the  market  square  and  these  are  occupied 
by  small  shops ; the  central  part,  open  to  the  sky,  is  filled 


32 


MEXICO 


with  the  stalls  of  the  Indian  vendors,  men  and  women, 
who  squat  on  the  ground  on  a rush  mat  with  another  sus- 
pended above  them  for  protection  against  the  sun,  their 
little  stock  spread  before  them. 

During  the  morning  hours  in  the  Orizaba  market  the 
crowd  of  natives  was  so  dense  that  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  push  a way  through  them.  Among  the  fruits  on  sale  I 
noticed  mangos,  zapotes,  granaditas,  sapodillas,  bananas, 
cocoanuts  and  other  tropical  fruits.  Most  of  these  look 
much  more  tempting  or  interesting  than  they  really  taste. 
The  Mexican  mango  does  not  compare  with  the  East  Indian 
variety,  being  smaller  and  having  much  more  of  the  peculiar 
turpentine  flavor.  The  zapote  is  a small  green  melon  which 
grows  in  clusters  on  trees  and  contains  great  quantities  of 
pips  resembling  black  currants ; the  sapodilla,  which  looks 
something  like  a small  round  potato,  is  filled  with  a dark 
yellowish  pulp  of  insipid  sweetness;  the  granadita  is  the 
fruit  of  the  passion-flower,  and  contains  a slippery,  whitish 
pulp  filled  with  small  black  seeds. 

Everywhere  in  the  market  there  was  a great  variety  of 
beans,  black,  brown  and  yellow, — beans  fried  in  fat,  called 
frijoles,  being  the  staple  food  of  the  poorer  classes.  There 
were  also  great  heaps  of  golden  maize,  for  corn  and  not 
wheat  is  the  Mexican  staff  of  life.^^  This  is  cooked  in 
various  ways,  but  more  especially  in  the  form  of  unleavened 
cakes  known  as  tortillas,  which  are  a distinctive  feature  of 
humble  Mexican  life,  and  are  even  popular  among  the 
wealthier  classes. 

Considerable  labor  is  necessary  to  evolve  the  tortilla, 
and  many  women  devote  their  days  and  a large  portion  of 
their  nights  to  its  manufacture.  The  kernels  of  corn  are 
first  soaked  in  lime-water  until  they  become  soft;  they 
are  then  placed  on  a flat  kneading-stone  called  a metate, 
and  ground  with  a rude  pestle  until  they  are  reduced  to 


The  Mexican  railway  scaling  mountain  heights  on  terraces  hewn  in  the  solid  rock. 


FROM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


33 


fiiie  paste.  This  is  shaped  into  small  round  cakes,  which 
are  worked  between  the  hands  and  patted  until  flattened 
out  very  thin.  They  are  then  baked  on  an  iron  pan  over 
a charcoal  fire.  Having  neither  salt  nor  seasoning,  they 
are  rather  insipid  to  the  unaccustomed  palate,  although 
when  served  hot  they  are  not  unpalatable.  In  many 
households  a special  cook  is  employed  to  make  tortillas 
and  serve  them  piping  hot  at  mealtimes.  When  cold, 
they  are  rather  leathery,  but  they  are  said  to  be  very  nu- 
tritious, and  are  often  carried  by  Mexicans  when  making 
long  journeys  in  unsettled  parts  of  the  country. 

The  meat  in  the  market  did  not  look  inviting,  some  that 
was  dried  being  as  black  as  ink,  and  seeming  quite  unfit 
for  human  food.  The  Spanish  word  for  meat,  came  (pro- 
nounced Camay) not  pleasant  to  the  ear,  and  when  you 
see  some  of  this  evil-looking  Mexican  meat,  it  somehow 
reminds  you  of  the  English  word  carrion.’’  The  meat, 
too,  is  very  carelessly  handled.  A butcher’s  boy  can  often 
be  seen  in  a Mexican  town  carrying  a string  of  tough 
beef-steaks  and  using  it  as  a whip  on  any  stray  dog  that  he 
happens  to  meet. 

In  addition  to  the  eatables,  there  were  all  kinds  of  native 
baskets  on  sale,  kitchen  utensils,  toys,  bright  red  pottery, 
goat’s  milk,  trinkets  and  clothing.  A peon’s  cotton  suit, 
by  the  way,  costs  about  a dollar,  his  sandals  ten  cents  and 
his  blanket  about  a dollar  and  a half,  so  that  he  is  fully 
clothed  for  less  than  three  dollars. 

A most  interesting  part  of  the  market  is  the  pottery 
department.  The  shapes  of  the  various  vessels  have  been 
handed  down  from  Aztec  times,  and  are  probably  much  the 
same  as  those  seen  by  Cortes.  Many  of  the  pieces  are  fan- 
tastic in  shape  and  ornamentation ; some  of  them  have  a 
graceful  appearance,  resembling  old  Grecian  or  Roman 
pottery.  A^en  it  is  considered  that  the  native  potter  has 


34 


MEXICO 


no  other  tools  than  his  wheel,  a piece  of  broken  glass  and  a 
horsehair,  the  results  are  certainly  marvellous.  With  the 
hair  he  trims  off  the  top,  while  the  glass  is  used  for  smooth- 
ing the  rough  places.  Some  of  the  water-bottles  and  other 
pieces  are  ornamented  with  pieces  of  china,  fragments  of 
broken  cups,  plates,  etc.,  arranged  in  tasteful  patterns  while 
the  clay  is  soft.  Each  part  of  Mexico  has  its  distinctive 
pottery,  that  of  Cuernavaca  being  distinguished  from  that 
of  Guadalupe,  Aguas  Calientes  or  Guadalajara  by  its  color 
and  design. 

In  a quiet  corner  of  the  market  was  the  evangelista  or 
public  letter-writer,  seated  at  his  little  table  with  a pot  of 
ink  and  a pen,  ready  to  dash  off  a matter-of-fact  business 
note  or  an  ardent  love-letter  for  natives  unable  to  write. 
In  another  place  were  the  cobblers  prepared  to  cut  and  fit 
leather  sandals  in  a few  minutes.  Pushing  through  the 
crowd  went  the  picturesque  aguadores  or  water-carriers, 
with  their  huge  earthen  water-coolers  strapped  to  their 
backs,  from  which  many  a refreshing  draught  was  supplied. 
In  towns  where  there  is  no  public  supply  of  water,  the 
aguadore  takes  water  daily  from  house  to  house. 

Queer  sweets  and  pastry,  called  dulces,  are  sold  in  the 
markets.  The  Mexicans  imitate  the  French  in  their  con- 
fectionery, but  it  is  a very  poor  imitation,  their  sweets  being 
over-flavored  and  insipid  and  their  pastry  heavy  and  in- 
digestible. 

At  various  street-corners  during  my  walk,  I noticed  the 
policemen  of  Orizaba,  swarthy  Indians,  most  of  them, 
dressed  not  unlike  the  policemen  of  country  towns  in 
France;  but  instead  of  a sword  they  have  a revolver 
strapped  to  the  waist  by  a belt  filled  with  a row  of  car- 
tridges. They  looked  stalwart,  efficient  fellows,  and  perform 
their  duty  well  in  keeping  order. 

Later  in  the  morning,  in  company  with  several  fellow- 


FBOM  OBIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


35 


travellers  who  had  come  from  Vera  Cruz  and  had  stopped 
at  the  Hotel  de  France,  I got  on  the  little  street-car  and  rode 
to  the  railway  station  to  continue  my  journey  to  Mexico 
City.  The  waiting-room  and  the  platform  of  the  station 
were  packed  with  Indian  men,  women  and  children,  some 
of  whom  had  come  to  take  the  train,  and  others  to  see  their 
friends  depart.  When  the  train  came  in  at  eleven  o’clock, 
we  found  there  was  only  one  first-class  car,  and  that  was 
pretty  well  filled  with  passengers,  so  that  we  had  hard  work 
to  find  places  for  ourselves  and  our  portable  baggage. 

Most  of  our  fellow-passengers  were  Mexicans  of  the  middle 
class,  chiefly  men ; and  nearly  all  of  them  smoked  in  the 
car,  as  there  was  no  compartment  for  smokers.  Mexicans 
are  rarely  pleasant  travelling  companions,  as  they  generally 
carry  a lot  of  bags,  boxes  and  bundles,  which  they  pile 
in  the  seats,  and  they  chatter  incessantly.  The  women, 
strange  to  say,  are  much  less  talkative  than  the  men. 
On  our  train  the  second-class  cars  were  filled  with  Mexicans 
of  the  lower  middle  class ; the  third-class  cars  were,  literally 
packed  with  Indians,  mostly  men. 

Railway  travel  in  Mexico  is  very  cheap,  the  third-class 
fare  being  less  than  one  cent  a mile.  The  Indians,  I 
afterwards  discovered,  have  a perfect  mania  for  travelling, 
and  when  they  are  not  spending  their  spare  cash  in  gambling 
or  on  fiery  native  drinks,  they  buy  a railway  ticket.  It 
apparently  matters  very  little  where  they  go,  and  they 
seem  to  wander  off  without  any  definite  object  in  view. 
The  Mexican  third-class  car  is  arranged  on  the  American 
system,  has  hard  wooden  benches,  and  is  not  inviting ; yet 
it  is  always  packed  with  Indians,  who  exchange  cigarettes, 
drink  each  other’s  health  in  pulque  and  mescal,  which  they 
carry,  and  gossip  incessantly.  In  fact,  for  the  peon,  the 
third-class  car  is  a sort  of  travelling  workingmen’s  club. 
He  has  genial  company,  and  sees  the  country  as  he  travels. 


36 


MEXICO 


When  the  train  stops  at  a station,  he  gets  out  and  gossips 
with  brother  Indians  on  the  platform. 

But  a pleasure-trip  of  this  kind  sweeps  away  the  poor 
peon’s  earnings  just  as  the  craving  for  drink  does.  While 
we  were  travelling  from  Orizaba  to  Mexico  City,  I witnessed 
a pathetic  scene  at  a small  railway  station  which  strikingly 
illustrated  this  fact.  An  Indian  was  on  the  platform  with 
his  wife  and  several  children,  and  some  friends  were  urging 
him  to  take  a ride,  just  as  I have  seen  the  companions  of  a 
British  workman  urging  a comrade,  fighting  against  temp- 
tation, to  enter  a public  house  and  have  ^^just  one  more 
drink.”  Don’t  go,  Juan,”  urged  the  tearful  wife;  ^^we 
owe  for  rent,  and  the  grocer  hasn’t  been  paid.”  The 
children,  bellowing  loudly,  hung  on  to  their  father’s  blanket. 
“Aw,  come  along,  Juan,  old  fellow;  don’t  be  henpecked,” 
said  his  swarthy  companions  in  equivalent  Spanish,  pulling 
him  towards  the  car.  “A  few  miles  won’t  hurt  you  or  the 
missus.”  The  engine  gave  a whistle,  the  train  began  to 
move,  the  peons  jumped  on,  and  poor,  weak  Juan,  unable 
to  resist  temptation,  sprang  in  after  them.  As  the  train 
moved  off,  the  poor  wife,  realizing  that  the  week’s  wages 
would  be  spent  in  travel,  ran  after  the  car,  wringing  her 
hands  and  gesticulating  wildly  to  her  husband,  who  looked 
stolidly  at  her  from  the  window.  Railway  travel  in  most 
countries  is  either  a luxury  or  a necessity,  but  Mexico  is 
the  only  land  in  which  it  amounts  to  a positive  vice. 

From  Orizaba  the  railway  runs  through  fertile  fields 
and  wooded  hills  until  it  reaches  the  mountains  and  enters 
a deep  ravine  called  the  Canon  del  Infernillo  or  Little  Hell, 
a wild  spot,  filled  with  numerous  cascades  and  streams  of 
rushing,  roaring  waters.  The  train  here  makes  a wonderful 
ascent,  twisting  and  climbing  over  twenty-four  hundred  feet 
in  nine  miles . When  the  train  is  coming  from  the  other  direc- 
tion, Indians  offer  fruit  and  flowers  for  sale  at  the  summit; 


FBOM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


3T 


then,  while  the  train  is  travelling  the  nine  miles,  they  scam- 
per down  the  twenty-four  hundred  feet  by  a short  mountain 
footpath  and  meet  it  again.  Climbing  steadily  upwards, 
the  train  crosses  numerous  iron  bridges,  spanning  deep 
chasms,  passing  through  many  tunnels,  sweeping  round 
dizzy,  beetling  points,  the  line  crossing  and  recrossing  itself, 
twisting  up  serpent-like  to  the  mountain  heights.  Far 
above,  as  the  train  climbs  upwards,  you  see  one  or  two 
white  specks  which  are  stations.  Looking  backwards,  you 
can  see  the  wonderful  twistings  of  the  line.  The  scenery 
is  often  inexpressibly  grand,  the  pink-tinged,  treeless  moun- 
tains rising  on  all  sides  from  the  foliage  of  the  foot-hills. 

At  Alta  Luz,  where  the  engine  takes  water,  the  traveller 
looks  down  on  the  village  of  Maltrata,  thousands  of  feet 
below  in  the  valley,  which  is  spread  out  like  a toy  city  on  a 
green  carpet,  with  its  white  church,  its  central  plaza,  its 
tiled  and  thatched  houses,  its  little  line  of  streets,  and  its 
surrounding  green  fields  and  orchards ; and  high  above  the 
valley,  and  far  above  where  the  train  is  standing,  tower  the 
mountains,  culminating  in  the  snow-tipped  peak  of  Orizaba, 
which  seems  to  pierce  the  skies.  From  this  point  there  is  a 
steady  and  continued  climb  upwards,  until  Esperanza  is 
reached  at  an  altitude  of  8044  feet.  As  the  train  travelled 
upward  to  this  place,  the  air  grew  quite  sharp,  and  the  rare- 
fied atmosphere  caused  a noticeable  quickening  of  the  action 
of  the  lungs. 

While  travelling  slowly  up  the  mountains,  we  witnessed 
a novel  and  pathetic  sight.  Two  natives,  carrying  a bright 
blue  coffin,  trotted  down  a mountain  path,  followed  by  a 
peon  and  three  weeping  children,  keeping  closely  together 
at  the  same  jog-trot.  They  were  evidently  bound  for  the 
municipal  cemetery  outside  a little  village  far  below.  The 
Mexican  country  cemetery  is  very  different  from  the  peace- 
ful God’s  acres  in  our  own  country  districts,  and  is  simply 


38 


MEXICO 


a plot  of  waste  land  surrounded  with  a wall  of  whitewashed 
brick.  A few  of  the  graves  are  marked  with  rude  wooden 
crosses;  the  others  are  unmarked.  The  place  is  usually 
overgrown  with  coarse  grass  and  cactus. 

At  Esperanza,  which  we  reached  at  half -past  one,  there 
was  a halt  of  thirty  minutes  for  luncheon.  None  of  the 
Mexican  railway  trains  have  dining-cars  attached,  and  stops 
for  meals  are  made  at  certain  stations,  the  customary 
price  being  fifty  cents.  Passengers  of  all  classes  have 
equal  privileges  in  the  dining-room,  and  unless  you  are  care- 
ful, you  are  apt  to  find  yourself  seated  with  a motley  com- 
pany of  unwashed  natives  whose  manners  constantly  re- 
mind you  that  fingers  were  invented  before  forks.  The 
white  passengers  on  the  train  — that  is,  the  foreigners  and 
best  class  of  Mexicans  — usually  gather  at  one  table,  and 
it  is  advisable  to  wait  a few  minutes  until  the  company  is 
seated,  so  as  to  make  sure  of  getting  a place  at  the  right 
table.  Though  meals  are  rather  crudely  served,  the  food 
is  generally  well  cooked  and  palatable. 

At  Esperanza,  mountain  climbers  can  travel  by  road  to 
the  village  of  Chalchicamula,  whence  a trail  through  the 
woods  leads  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Orizaba.  This  giant  peak 
of  over  eighteen  thousand  feet  is,  next  to  Mount  McKinle}^ 
in  Alaska,  the  highest  peak  in  North  America.  For  an 
experienced  mountain  climber  the  ascent  is  difficult  but 
not  dangerous.  In  making  the  ascent,  one  passes  through 
all  varieties  of  climates,  from  the  sub-tropical  region  of  the 
valley  to  the  pine  woods  of  the  north,  and  then  on  to  the 
cold,  icy,  snow-capped  Arctic  regions.  The  scenes  to  be 
witnessed  on  every  side  are  magnificent. 

Travelling  from  Esperanza  down  to  Vera  Cruz,  the  descent 
in  many  places  is  so  steep  that  steam-power  is  not  used. 
The  train  runs  down  the  mountains  by  its  own  weight, 
brake-power  only  being  necessary  to  regulate  the  pace. 


WATCHING  THE  TRAIN. 

A familiar  scene  at  a Mexican  railway  station. 


FROM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


39 


After  leaving  Esperanza,  the  line  reaches  the  flat  table- 
landS;  bordered  with  mountains  in  the  distance,  dry  and 
dusty  in  the  winter  time.  The  country  is  dreary  and  mo- 
notonous, with  scarcely  a tree  to  be  seen.  Here  and  there 
I noticed  a big  white  hacienda  building  or  ranch-house  set 
in  the  midst  of  the  plain,  where  large  herds  of  cattle  were 
browsing  on  withered  grass,  the  only  signs  of  cultivation 
being  occasional  fields  where  the  dry,  yellow  Indian-corn 
stalks  left  from  the  last  harvest  were  still  standing.  This 
dry,  dusty  appearance  of  the  country  was,  I found,  char- 
acteristic of  the  highlands  of  Mexico  in  the  winter  months. 
There  is  then  little  or  no  rain,  everything  gets  dry  and 
parched,  and  only  where  there  is  an  irrigated  patch  is  there 
any  green  vegetation.  Sometimes  the  train  passed  over 
a dry  watercourse,  for  in  the  higher  lands  most  of  the 
streams  and  rivers  dry  up  during  the  rainless  season. 
When  the  rains  set  in,  they  soon  begin  flowing  again,  and 
frequently  get  into  a flooded  condition.  Mexico  is  very 
poorly  supplied  with  rivers,  excepting  along  the  Gulf  coast, 
where  they  are  very  numerous  and  quite  large  at  the  mouth, 
but  not  navigable  for  any  distance. 

The  monotonous  country  through  which  we  travelled 
during  the  afternoon  was  rendered  still  more  depressing  by 
the  weather,  the  sky  which  in  Mexico  is  usually  a clear,  deep 
blue  being  still  dark  and  cloudy.  Blowing  from  the  coast, 
the  “ norther ’’  was  making  itself  felt  in  the  high  table-land. 
There  were,  however,  occasionally  a few  interesting  scenes 
to  relieve  the  tedium  of  our  journey.  At  one  village  there 
was  an  encampment  of  soldiers,  infantry  and  cavalry,  and 
a long  line  of  tents.  Everything  seemed  to  be  conducted  in 
good  military  order.  At  nearly  every  station  where  a stop 
was  made  the  train  was  besieged  by  a throng  of  wild-looking 
Indian  women  and  children  selling  boiled  eggs,  fried  chicken, 
fiery  Mexican  dishes,  such  as  tamales,  and  native  cakes  and 


40 


MEXICO 


drinks.  These  were  eagerly  bought  by  the  Mexican  pas- 
sengers, who  seemed  to  be  continually  eating.  Mexican 
railway  stations,  especially  in  the  small  towns,  are  always 
crowded,  as  the  arrival  and  departure  of  a passenger  train 
— sometimes  there  is  only  one  daily  — is  quite  an  important 
event.  Poor  people  with  nothing  else  to  do  and  loafers  of 
every  description  gather  to  see  the  train,  smoking  and  chat- 
ting together,  staring  at  the  passengers  and  discussing  them 
with  much  apparent  enjoyment.  Beggars  of  all  kinds,  the 
lame,  the  diseased  and  the  blind,  are  always  on  hand, 
clamoring  for  centavos,  and  singing  lustily  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  their  queer  old  harps,  fiddles  and  mandolins. 

We  passed  very  few  villages,  and  these  mostly  consisted 
of  square,  flat-roofed  huts  of  adobe  or  sun-dried  brick. 
Adobe  is  an  important  feature  of  life  in  Mexico  and  is  the 
salvation  of  the  poor  Mexican.  Wood  being  very  expensive, 
and  stone  or  manufactured  brick  out  of  the  question  for 
him,  he  has  to  fall  back  on  mother  earth  for  shelter.  The 
soil  in  many  places  is  a sort  of  clay  which,  after  being  mixed 
with  water  and  straw, — usually  the  refuse  from  stables, — 
is  put  in  square  wooden  moulds  and  baked  in  the  sun. 
This  sun-dried  brick  is  called  adobe,  and  it  is  wonderful  how 
long  it  will  stand  the  stress  of  sun  and  rain  in  a country 
where  there  are  no  severe  frosts.  Not  only  does  the  poor 
man  make  use  of  this  cheap  building  material,  but  many 
a pretentious  wall  that  is  covered  with  a respectable  coating 
of  stucco  and  finished  in  imitation  of  stone,  when  it  even- 
tually falls  into  decay,  shows  that  within  it  has  relied  for 
strength  and  support  upon  adobe. 

Later  in  the  day  our  train  steamed  across  the  plains  of 
Apam,  relieved  only  by  monotonous  rows  of  maguey  plants, 
from  which  the  national  drink,  pulque  (pronounced  'pool- 
kay)j  is  made.  Apam  is,  in  fact,  the  most  important  dis- 
trict in  Mexico  for  the  cultivation  of  this  plant  — a species 


FROM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


41 


of  agave  which  looks  a good  deal  like  the  aloe”  used  for 
ornamental  purposes  in  American  gardens  and  sometimes 
called  the  century  plant,”  from  the  fiction  that  it  blooms 
only  once  in  a hundred  years.  The  Mexican  plant,  how- 
ever, is  much  larger,  its  dark  green  spiked  leaves  sometimes 
reaching  a length  of  fifteen  feet,  a foot  in  breadth  and  sev- 
eral inches  in  thickness.  From  six  to  ten  years  are  required 
for  the  plant  to  mature  in  its  native  soil.  It  then  sends  up 
a tall,  stiff  spike,  which  is  covered  with  clusters  of  small, 
bell-shaped  blossoms  as  white  as  bleached  cabbage,  and 
then  dies.  In  maguey  plantations,  however,  when  the 
flowering  time  arrives,  the  plant  is  marked  with  a cross, 
the  stalks  being  then  full  of  the  sap  for  which  it  is  culti- 
vated. To  obtain  this,  the  entire  heart  is  removed,  leaving 
a natural  basin  in  which  the  sap  collects.  In  this  condition 
the  liquor  is  sweet  and  perfectly  clear,  and  is  called  agua 
miel  or  honey-water.  The  sap,  which  gathers  quickly, 
is  removed  two  or  three  times  a day  by  an  Indian,  usually 
provided  with  a long,  hollow  gourd  with  a hole  at  each  end. 
He  places  the  small  end  of  the  gourd  in  the  sap,  and  applying 
his  mouth  to  the  opening  at  the  other  end,  sucks  the  liquid 
into  the  gourd.  This  primitive  method,  however,  is  being 
supplanted  by  a long  siphon,  which  enables  the  sap  to  be 
removed  more  quickly  and  cleanly. 

After  its  removal,  the  sap  is  emptied  into  a pigskin  which 
the  gatherer  carries  on  his  back.  Each  plant  yields  on  an 
average  about  six  quarts  of  sap  daily  for  a month  or  more. 
It  then  withers  and  dies  and  another  is  planted  in  its  place. 
The  sap  collected  each  day  is  put  in  barrels  and  fermented, 
when  it  is  ready  for  the  market.  Pulque,  after  fermenta- 
tion, tastes  a good  deal  like  stale  buttermilk  diluted  with 
stagnant  water  — a thin,  starchy,  evil-smelling  liquor. 
After  further  fermentation,  it  acquires  a putrid  taste.  The 
natives  like  it  best  immediately  after  fermentation,  as  it 


42 


MEXICO 


is  supposed  to  spoil  — if  it  can  spoil  — within  twenty- 
four  hours  afterwards,  and  there  is  a law  prohibiting  its 
sale  after  that  time.  Thus  it  must  be  drunk  at  once,  which 
may  account  for  the  energy  with  which  the  Indians  imbibe 
it.  Very  few  of  the  better  classes  drink  pulque;  it  is  the 
beverage  of  the  poor. 

A taste  for  pulque  has  to  be  acquired  by  strangers.  The 
first  experience  is  always  repellent,  but  familiarity  is  said 
to  breed  contempt  for  its  nauseous  qualities.  Great 
virtues  are  claimed  for  the  drink,  especially  in  the  cure  of 
kidney  diseases.  Some  Mexican  doctors  prescribe  it  for 
these  ailments,  but  several  physicians  who  have  investi- 
gated its  alleged  curative  powers  assert  that  it  is  of  no 
value  whatever. 

Pulque  was  first  known  in  Mexico,  so  it  is  said,  in  1050 
A.D.,  when  a beautiful  Indian  maiden  with  the  unbeautiful 
name  of  Xochitl  brought  to  the  Toltec  emperor,  Teopan- 
caltzin,  a large  pot  of  sweet  liquid  which  she  had  drawn 
from  the  maguey  plants  in  her  garden.  The  emperor 
was  so  pleased  with  the  drink  that  he  married  the  girl,  and 
in  course  of  time  a son  was  born  who  was  christened  Me- 
conetzin,  meaning  ^^The  son  of  the  maguey  plant.’’  Queen 
Xochitl  did  not  make  pulque,  but  merely  extracted  the 
sweet,  sticky  juice  of  the  plant,  the  agua  miel.  In  the 
northern  parts  of  Mexico  the  natives  drink  this,  and  it  has 
no  bad  effects. 

For  a hundred  miles  and  more  round  Mexico  City  there 
are  pulque  estates  where  the  maguey  plant  is  cultivated, 
and  on  some  of  these  over  a thousand  peons  are  employed 
attending  to  the  plants  and  gathering  the  sap.  Special 
pulque  trains  loaded  with  this  vile  beverage  run  into  the 
capital  every  day  from  the  country  districts.  It  is  sold 
at  pulque  shops,  the  lowest  class  of  Mexican  saloons, 
patronized  only  by  Indian  peons.  A cheap  drink,  it  costs 


MEXICO’S  NATIONAL  DRINK. 
Gathering  the  maguey  sap  for  making  pulque. 


AN  AGU ADORE. 

The  Mexican  water-seller.  (See  page  34.) 


■\  . * - ' . ; -i  i 

<•-  .'..'•r^r,.  ; 

'■■ . ■:#  ] 
,■  -■>••  W..,"  ' -w  't-*'  ’ 


FROM  ORIZABA  TO  THE  CAPITAL 


43 


only  two  or  three  centavos  a glass ; yet  the  daily  expendi- 
ture for  pulque  in  Mexico  City  is  said  to  exceed  twenty 
thousand  dollars. 

Indulgence  in  this  drink  softens  the  brain,  ruins  the 
digestion  and  paralyzes  the  nerves;  while  its  effects  on 
the  native  population  are  so  destructive  that  it  has  been 
well  named  ^^the  curse  of  Mexico.’’  It  is  principally  drunk 
in  Mexico  City,  where  the  Indian  population  is  the  most 
degraded  in  the  Republic.  Many  employers  of  labor  will 
not  hire  men  from  the  pulque  districts  if  they  can  possibly 
get  them  from  elsewhere.  Tequila  and  mescal,  two  fiery 
spirits  largely  consumed  in  Mexico,  are  distilled  from  a 
smaller  species  of  maguey.  They  have  some  resemblance 
to  cheap  brandy,  and  are  equally  deadly  in  their  effects 
on  the  human  system. 

Whatever  his  racial  weaknesses  maybe,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  the  degeneracy  of  the  native  and  the  degrading  con- 
ditions under  which  he  often  lives,  especially  in  the  cities, 
are  mainly  due  to  drink.  Every  centavo  the  Indian  can 
scrape  together  is  spent  on  pulque  and  mescal.  Most  of 
the  murders  in  Mexico  City  are  due  to  drink.  Pulquerias, 
as  the  drinking  shops  are  called,  are  for  the  most  part 
located  in  the  low  quarters  of  the  town,  and  are  reeking, 
foul-smelling  dens  with  earthen  floors,  the  state  of  which 
had  best  not  be  inquired  into.  These  bar-rooms  are  deco- 
rated and  painted  in  a very  strange  way,  brightly  colored 
tissue  paper  and  flags  of  all  tints  adorning  them  without 
as  well  as  within.  The  outside  walls  of  these  are  usually 
covered  with  pictures  of  warriors,  chariots,  battles  and 
even  martyrs  and  saints,  daubed  over  them  in  gay  colors. 


CHAPTER  III 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 

Hours  of  steaming  through  bare  plains,  hemmed  in  by 
bare  mountains,  cone-shaped,  the  true  volcanic  type ! 
Hours  of  dust  and  rattle,  the  scenery  broken  only  by  the 
huge,  flat-shaped  maguey  plant,  interminable  save  where 
a few  acres  round  a lonely  village  church  show  the  yellow- 
ing stalks  of  last  season’s  harvest  of  Indian  corn ! Such 
are  the  plains  of  Apam,  through  which  the  heavily  loaded 
train  from  Vera  Cruz  panted  and  jolted  as  the  sun  sank 
and  the  quick-falling  darkness  made  the  weirdly  lonely 
scenery  more  weird,  more  lonely  and  desolate,  if  that  were 
possible.  It  is  starved,  ignoble  nature”  in  very  truth, 
and  the  traveller  wonders,  as  he  stares  through  the  gather- 
ing darkness,  where  Mexico  City  can  be  hidden  in  the  plain’s 
hopeless  desert. 

Mexico,  however,  is  a land  of  contrasts,  and  this  the 
newcomer  is  not  long  in  learning.  Thus  the  transition 
from  the  barbarically  wild  to  the  civilized  is  remarkably 
sudden.  For  miles  before  reaching  the  Mexican  capital 
we  passed  through  these  sandy  wastes  and  fields  of  maguey ; 
past  straggling  Indian  villages  of  adobe  huts  with  garden- 
plots  enclosed  with  cactus,  tall  and  straight,  forming  nat- 
ural fence-posts,  where  Indian  men  in  their  red  blankets 
and  straw  sombreros,  and  unkempt  Indian  women  in  their 
blue  rebosas,  squatted  about  and  stolidly  watched  the  train 
flit  by.  Suddenly  from  the  desert  we  entered  what  ap- 
peared to  be  a suburban  district  where  there  were  stone 

44 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


45 


houses  of  Spanish  appearance^  quite  well  built,  with  a few 
Americanized  business  buildings  mixed  with  them,  dec- 
orated  with  garish  advertising  signs  in  Spanish  and  English. 
Then  electric  lights  began  to  twinkle  along  the  highways, 
and  an  electric  car  filled  with  passengers  glided  onward 
to  the  city.  A few  minutes  later  our  train  ran  through 
some  rather  squalid  streets  and  then  entered  a railway 
station  which,  though  really  nothing  but  a glorified  shed, 
was  the  terminus  in  Mexico  City.  There  are  no  stations 
in  the  capital  equal  in  size  and  appointments  to  those  in 
even  a third-rate  American  city,  and  most  of  them  are  crude 
in  the  extreme.  They  are  arranged  in  much  the  same  way 
as  are  the  American  stations,  without  raised  platforms, 
and  having  only  one  waiting-room  for  passengers  of  all 
classes. 

No  sooner  had  the  train  come  to  a standstill  than  it 
was  besieged  by  a mob  of  cargadores,  offering  to  carry  our 
baggage.  These  men  were  not  in  uniform,  but  wore  the 
ordinary  dress  of  the  peon  — a dirty  linen  suit,  or  just 
trousers  and  shirt,  and  some  had  a ragged  blanket  wrapped 
round  their  shoulders.  As  the  cargadores  are  not  allowed 
to  enter  the  railway  carriages,  the  traveller  passes  his 
bags  to  them  through  the  window.  I was  duly  captured 
by  one  of  these  burden-bearers,  and  following  him  emerged 
to  find  a large  crowd  of  cabs,  very  much  like  the  Parisian 
fiacres,  in  the  station  yard.  The  drivers,  however,  were 
very  different  in  appearance  from  the  cochers  of  Paris, 
for  they  all  wore  the  heavy  felt,  steeple-crowned  sombrero. 

There  are  first-  and  second-class  cabs  in  Mexico  City, 
the  former  bearing  a small  blue  flag  and  the  latter  a red 
flag.  The  blues  charge  fifty  cents  and  the  reds  thirty  cents 
an  hour.  A local  guide-book  suggests  that  tourists  can 
remember  the  two  classes  by  saying  to  themselves,  ^^Red 
cabs  for  the  ordinary  red-blooded  people,  blues  for  the  blue 


46 


MEXICO 


bloods.’’  A year  or  two  ago  there  was  a third  class  of  cabs 
which  sported  a yellow  flag,  and  were  popularly  known  as 

yellow  fevers.”  This,  of  course,  was  a joke,  but  they 
certainly  were  pestilential  conveyances,  and  the  city  is  well 
rid  of  them. 

As  I left  the  station  in  one  of  the  red-flag  cabs,  bound 
for  my  hotel,  a policeman  at  the  station  exit  noted  down 
the  number  and  destination  of  the  vehicle.  This,  I found, 
is  done  at  all  the  railway  stations  in  the  City,  and  it  is  an 
excellent  idea;  for  if  anything  happens  to  a passenger,  if 
he  gets  lost  or  robbed,  the  police  are  thus  able  to  get  some 
trace  of  him. 

My  cab  drove  quickly  through  wide  asphalted  streets, 
bright  with  electric  lights,  and  bordered  with  flat-roofed 
houses  in  Spanish  style,  with  their  balconies  and  barred 
windows.  Intermixed  with  these  were  a few  modern- 
looking business  buildings  and  stores,  and  one  or  two 
ancient  churches  with  quaint  towers  and  domes.  Along 
most  of  the  streets  through  which  I passed  electric  street- 
cars were  running,  crowded  with  passengers.  As  in  all 
Mexican  cities,  these  cars  are  American-made,  and  carry 
passengers  inside  only.  The  brilliantly  lighted  streets, 
the  crowded  cars  and  the  passing  throngs  of  well-dressed 
people  all  gave  me  the  feeling  of  being  once  more  in  a great 
metropolis;  and  this  seemed  wonderfully  strange  when  I 
realized  that  less  than  half  an  hour  before  I had  been 
travelling  through  Indian  villages  and  a lonely  desert. 

I had  engaged  quarters  at  the  Hotel  Sanz,  which  is  under 
American  management,  and  as  comfortable  as  hotels  are 
in  the  Mexican  capital.  There  are  no  really  fine  hotels  in 
the  city,  most  of  them  being  old  convents  or  mansions 
partly  rebuilt. 

The  Sanz  was  the  usual  large,  square,  flat-roofed  build- 
ing of  three  stories  built  round  an  unroofed  patio,  encircled 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


47 


by  galleries  at  each  story ; the  office,  some  reception  rooms 
and  the  restaurant  were  on  the  ground  floor.  In  the  centre 
of  the  patio  there  was  the  usual  fountain,  with  its  flowers 
and  shrubbery.  All  this  would  have  looked  very  attractive 
and  refreshing  on  a sultry  evening;  but  the  norther” 
was  still  blowing,  the  sky  was  overcast,  the  air  was  dis- 
tinctly chilly  and  there  had  just  been  a heavy  shower  of 
rain.  Everything  seemed  damp,  dark  and  cold.  There 
was  not  a stove  or  open  fireplace  in  the  hotel,  but  in  this 
respect  it  was  no  worse  off  than  the  other  establishments. 
None  of  them  are  heated,  and  when  the  weather  is  cold 
there  is  absolutely  no  way  of  getting  warm  unless  you  go 
to  bed ; and  even  then  you  are  apt  to  suffer,  as  the  rarefied 
air  is  very  penetrating.  I had  a comfortable  room,  but 
it  made  me  shiver  to  look  out  on  the  cold,  damp  patio  and 
hear  the  chill  wind  sighing  round  the  open  court. 

Mexico  City  certainly  needs  a good  modern  hotel, 
and  at  first  sight  such  an  establishment  would  seem  to  be 
sure  of  making  large  profits  and  well  paying  its  promoters. 
The  servant  problem,  however,  and  the  extortionate 
prices  which  are  demanded  for  ground  in  eligible  districts 
have  thus  far  prevented  capitalists  from  embarking  in 
such  an  enterprise.  Several  well-known  American  and 
European  hotel  lessees  have  investigated  the  matter, 
but  none  of  them  have  been  willing  to  engage  in  what  they 
consider  would  be  a losing  venture.  The  present  hotels 
are  cheap  and  clean,  but  in  the  majority  of  them  every- 
thing is  old  and  dingy,  and  the  service  is  very  inferior. 
Twenty  years  ago,  I was  told,  visitors  were  making  the 
same  complaint,  but  the  need  for  a modern  hotel  is  still 
a crying  one. 

With  all  their  faults,  the  Mexican  hotels  have  one  re- 
deeming trait  — they  are  not  expensive.  Those  in  the 
big  centres  usually  make  separate  charges  for  rooms  and 


48 


MEXICO 


meals,  the  price  of  rooms  generally  ranging  from  one 
dollar  fifty  to  three  dollars  a day,  while  meals  are  served 
a la  carte.  Some  of  the  hotels,  however,  serve  a regular 
dinner,  which  costs,  as  a rule,  about  a dollar.  In  Mexico 
City,  where  the  cost  of  living  is  higher  than  in  small  places, 
one  can  manage  to  live  very  comfortably  at  a hotel,  with 
room  and  board,  for  four  or  five  dollars  a day.  In  the 
smaller  towns  the  hotels  charge  so  much  a day  for  room 
and  board  together,  usually  from  two  to  three  dollars,  the 
price  varying  according  to  the  size  and  position  of  the  room. 

Good  servants  are  very  difficult  to  get  in  Mexico,  and 
the  domestics,  who  are  chiefly  drawn  from  the  Indian 
population,  are  seldom  long  contented  with  their  places. 
The  chambermaids  in  the  Americanized  hotels  — most 
of  them  swarthy  Indians  or  half-breeds  — look  a good 
deal  like  typical  gypsy  maidens.  They  wear  the  usual 
native  costume,  a loose  skirt  and  bodice  of  speckled  blue 
and  white  and  a rebosa  draped  over  the  shoulders.  Their 
coarse  black  hair  is  generally  worn  hanging  down  the  back 
in  a long  plait,  their  eyes  are  very  dark,  and  they  are  much 
given  to  wearing  large  ear-rings.  When  not  at  work,  they 
sit  about  the  stairs  in  twos  and  threes,  and  to  a stranger 
seem  very  picturesque.  Their  ideas  of  housework  are  also 
interesting  to  the  stranger  who  does  not  have  to  employ 
them  as  domestics,  although  their  method  of  dusting 
would  drive  an  American  housewife  mad  in  a week.  At 
the  end  of  a stick  they  tie  a cloth  and  very  lackadaisically 
flick  it  around  in  the  direction  in  which  they  think  the  dust 
is.  The  whole  process  suggests  the  indolence  with  which 
these  folk  regard  all  life’s  problems. 

The  district  of  Mexico  City  in  which  the  principal  hotels 
are  situated  is  historic  ground,  for  some  of  the  most  stirring 
events  of  Mexican  history  have  been  enacted  in  this  par- 
ticular quarter.  Opposite  the  Hotel  Sanz  is  the  Alameda, 


( opyriglit  by  Underwood  & Underwood,  New  York. 


CALLE  DEL  RELOJ. 

One  of  the  busiest  streets  in  the  capital. 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


49 


a pretty  little  park  about  twice  as  large  as  City  Hall  Park, 
New  York,  and  from  this  radiate  some  of  the  principal 
streets.  Once  a piece  of  waste  land,  the  Alameda  is  now  a 
long  stretch  of  velvety  green  lawns  and  numerous  beds  of 
tropical  flowers,  shaded  by  fine  old  trees  and  graceful  palms. 
In  the  centre  is  a handsome  fountain,  and  on  one  side  a 
quaint  Moorish  kiosque,  in  which  refreshments  are  sold. 
One  of  the  regimental  bands  plays  in  the  Alameda  every 
day.  Until  recently,  the  little  park  was  Mexico  City’s 
fashionable  promenade,  and  on  Sunday  mornings  the  smart 
people  gathered  there  much  in  the  same  way  as  they  do  in 
Hyde  Park  during  the  London  season.  But  the  centre  of 
population  is  moving  southwestward,  and  the  Alameda  is, 
as  far  as  I could  observe,  becoming  chiefly  the  resort  of  the 
poorer  classes. 

This  spot  has  a tragic  history,  having  been  the  place  of 
execution  for  the  victims  of  the  Inquisition.  In  1574 
twenty-one  pestilent  Lutherans”  were  burned  there. 
Crowds  used  to  stand  on  the  steps  of  the  old  church  of  San 
Diego,  which  still  faces  the  Alameda,  to  get  a good  view 
of  the  burnings  and  watch  the  ashes  of  the  victims  thrown 
into  a marsh  which  then  existed  behind  the  church.  The 
Inquisition  was  not  abolished  in  Mexico  until  1812. 

In  the  evening  I took  a walk  through  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal streets,  and  was  astonished  to  find  them  so  deserted. 
The  Mexican  capital  has  a population  of  over  four  hundred 
thousand,  and  I had  read  such  glowing  accounts  of  the 
gayety  of  the  place  that  I confidently  expected  to  find  it 
a sort  of  transatlantic  Paris.  I was  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment, however,  for  although  it  was  only  nine  o’clock  when 
I took  my  walk  abroad,  all  signs  of  life  had  departed  from 
the  streets.  Only  a few  stores  and  restaurants  were  open, 
and  very  few  people  were  to  be  seen.  Nor  was  this  due 
to  the  fact  that  it  was  Sunday  night,  for  the  streets  have 


50 


MEXICO 


the  same  dreary  appearance  on  other  nights  of  the  week. 
There  is  a reason  for  this,  and  it  is  undoubtedly  climatic. 

While  the  day  temperature,  even  in  winter,  is  mild  and 
often  hot,  the  nights  in  the  capital  are  invariably  chilly; 
in  the  winter  months  dangerously  so.  The  whole  popula- 
tion are  terrified  of  the  night  air,  and  thus  it  is  that  after 
eight  o^clock  Mexico  City  is  almost  a city  of  the  dead,  except 
in  some  of  the  important  business  streets  where  such  night 
amusements  as  exist  are  to  be  found.  A few  theatres  and 
cinematograph  shows  afford  amusement  to  those  who  will 
face  the  night  air;  but  there  is  no  cafe  life  as  in  France, 
and  no  sort  of  out-of-door  life.  Nobody  seems  to  come  to 
the  restaurants,  except  in  the  case  of  a few  popular  establish- 
ments chiefiy  patronized  by  foreigners.  At  some  of  these 
good  dinners  are  served,  during  which  excellent  music  is 
played ; but  there  is  little  to  attract  one  in  going,  on  a cold 
night,  through  deserted  streets  to  half-deserted  restaurants. 
The  theatres  do  not  open  until  nine  o’clock,  and  unless 
there  is  some  very  good  company  playing,  they  do  not  attract 
large  crowds. 

As  I wandered  along,  I noticed  a lantern  standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  street  at  nearly  every  crossing.  These  lights, 
I found,  belonged  to  policemen,  for  in  all  Mexican  cities  the 
policemen  stand  at  night  at  the  street  corners,  placing  their 
lanterns  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  The  long  row  of  flicker- 
ing lights,  up  and  down,  in  every  direction,  has  a curious 
effect;  but  to  the  law-abiding  it  is  a comforting  one,  in- 
dicating as  it  does  that  the  Argus-eye  of  the  law  is  on  the 
sleeping  city.  Unlike  Diogenes,  the  Mexican  policeman 
employs  his  lantern  to  find  a possible  thief,  but  humorists 
say  that  the  lantern  is  really  intended  to  aid  the  thief  in 
avoiding  the  guardians  of  the  law . 

In  dress  and  appearance  the  police,  who  are  chiefly 
recruited  from  the  Indians  and  half-breeds,  are  not  unlike 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


61 


the  Parisian  sergeants  de  ville.  On  one  side  of  his  waist 
the  policeman  wears  what  American  policemen  call  ^^a 
night  stick/'  and  on  the  other  a revolver  is  strapped. 
During  the  day  he  walks  his  beat  and  takes  an  occasional 
rest  by  leaning  against  a door-post.  At  night  he  wears  a 
long  blue  cloak,  and  if  the  weather  is  cold  you  will  see  him 
mulled  up  to  the  chin,  breathing  through  the  cloth.  All 
the  Mexican  masses  seem  to  dread  the  night  and  early 
morning  air.  Muffling  themselves  up  in  their  blankets, 
the  peons  breathe  through  them  with  heroic  disregard 
of  the  germs  which  must  lurk  in  their  dirty  folds ; women 
cover  their  mouths  with  their  rebosas,  using  them  as  res- 
pirators. The  popular  idea  is  that  unadulterated  cold  air 
entering  the  lungs  is  likely  to  cause  pneumonia. 

Windows  in  the  city  are  all  barred  with  iron  bars;  the 
heavy  doors  would  require  dynamite  to  blow  them  open, 
and  fires  are  infrequent.  The  Mexican  policeman's  lot 
is  therefore  a happy  one,  for  he  has  little  to  do,  which  is 
what  the  Mexican  likes  best.  When  the  streets  are  deserted, 
he  not  infrequently  leans  against  a door  and  goes  to  sleep ; 
but  if  you  want  him,  his  lantern  enables  you  to  find  him  and 
rouse  him  from  his  slumbers.  The  police  are  very  numerous 
all  over  Mexico,  because  the  government  has  found  it 
advisable  to  keep  itself  well  informed  of  affairs,  in  order 
to  check  revolutionary  movements.  Even  in  the  smallest 
villages  there  is  a uniformed  police.  The  metropolitan 
police  appeared  to  me  to  be  a very  efficient  body  of  men; 
they  are  very  courteous  to  strangers,  and  have  made  the 
streets  of  the  capital  almost  a;s  safe  as  those  of  New  York. 

Just  as  the  London  police  are  affectionately  called 

Bobbies,"  so  the  Mexican  guardians  of  the  law  have  their 
pet  name,  ^^Serenos."  The  old  Spanish  watchmen  whom 
they  supplanted  used  to  call  out  the  state  of  the  weather 
just  as  did  the  English  watchmen  in  olden  times.  As 


62 


MEXICO 


Mexican  weather  is  usually  clear,  the  watchman^s  cry  was 
simply  a reiteration  of  the  words  ‘^Tiempo  sereno  (weather 
clear),  and  thus  they  came  to  be  called  ^‘Serenos/^  By 
the  way,  they  have  a peculiar  custom  of  arresting  all  parties 
in  an  altercation.  If  a policeman  is  called  to  arrest  an 
offender  the  complainant  will  be  arrested  as  well  and 
marched  off  to  the  police  station.  In  such  cases  there  is 
only  one  thing  to  do  and  that  is  to  obey  orders,  accom- 
pany the  policeman  to  the  comiseria,’^  and  trust  to  luck 
in  having  the  matter  settled  by  the  officer  on  duty  there. 

During  my  walk,  I not  only  noticed  the  sharpness  of 
the  air,  which  every  poor  man  in  the  street  was  trying  to 
avoid  by  breathing  through  his  cloak  or  blanket,  but  I also 
noticed  a peculiar  atmospheric  quality  which  somehow 
reminded  me  of  the  high  mountainous  districts  of  Switzer- 
land. I also  felt  a queer  dizzy  sensation  in  my  head  and 
a slight  difficulty  in  breathing.  Then  I remembered  that 
I was  in  a region  of  rarefied  air,  for  Mexico  City  is  nearly 
8000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  owing  to  this 
high  altitude  that  most  visitors  on  their  arrival  experience 
a slight  headache  and  shortness  of  breath,  which,  however, 
wears  off  in  a day  or  two. 

The  geographical  situation  of  Mexico  City  is  unique 
among  the  world’s  capitals.  Lying  on  a beautiful  plain 
about  sixty  miles  long  and  thirty  broad,  the  city  is  encircled 
by  a chain  of  mountains,  some  of  which  have  the  charac- 
teristically pointed  volcanic  shape,  while  nearer  to  the  city 
rises  a long  range  of  barren  foot-hills.  Owing  to  its  altitude, 
the  city  usually  enjoys  an  even  and  moderate  temperature, 
the  thermometer  showing  an  average  of  seventy  degrees 
the  year  round,  and  even  the  summer  is  pleasantly  cool. 
Its  peculiar  situation,  however,  causes  some  very  unpleas- 
ant climatic  conditions,  such  as  the  norther”  which  was 
blowing  when  I arrived.  The  sun  is  always  waging  war 


REMINISCENT  OF  THE  PAST 
Patio  of  an  old  mansion  in  Mexico  City, 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


53 


with  the  cloud  troops  and  the  mountain  air,  a combat  of 
nature  which  gives  rise  to  sudden  and  trying  changes. 
The  city  being  less  sheltered  from  the  north  and  northwest, 
the  winds  blowing  over  the  snow-capped  mountains  often 
bring  frost  and  even  snow  in  the  winter.  On  a bright,  clear 
day,  too,  there  is  often  an  extraordinary  difference  between 
the  temperature  on  the  sunny  and  shady  sides  of  the  streets ; 
for  it  will  be  roasting  hot  on  one  side,  while  on  the  other 
one  feels  an  unpleasant  chill.  In  fact,  the  Spanish  proverb 
regarding  Madrid  is  often  applicable  to  the  Mexican  me- 
tropolis, for  the  wind  which  on  a bright  day  does  not  seem 
strong  enough  to  blow  out  a candle  on  the  sunny  side  of 
the  street  will  almost  take  a man’s  life  in  the  shade. 

The  seasons  in  Mexico  are  divided  into  the  dry  and  the 
rainy,  the  former  beginning  in  November  and  lasting  until 
June.  In  the  highlands  during  this  time  of  the  year  little 
or  no  rain  falls,  save  a few  heavy  showers  in  March  or  April, 
and  unless  a norther”  is  blowing,  the  sun  shines  with  un- 
clouded splendor  and  the  sky  is  intensely  blue.  During 
the  rains,  from  June  to  November,  showers  fall  every  day 
from  two  to  four,  and  the  dry,  sun-baked  plains  and  hills, 
arid  and  yellow,  then  turn  to  a rich  emerald.  Thus  the 
climate  of  these  Mexican  highlands  is  no  warmer  in  summer 
than  in  winter,  and  travelling,  thanks  to  the  absence  of 
dust,  is  far  more  agreeable.  It  always  puzzles  the  Mexicans 
why  tourists  visit  their  country  when  it  is  at  its  climatic 
worst. 

Around  the  city  lie  six  shallow  lakes,  Texcoco,  Xochil- 
milco,  San  Cristoval,  Xaltocan,  Zumpalgo  and  Chaleo. 
The  first  of  these  is  about  three  miles  from  the  city.  In 
Aztec  times  the  waters  of  these  lakes  entirely  surrounded 
the  capital,  but  since  the  conquest  their  shores  have  gradu- 
ally receded.  Zumpalgo  is  twenty-five  feet  higher  than  the 
city  and  drains  into  Texcoco,  which  caused  a serious  flood 


54 


MEXICO 


on  three  occasions,  the  city  being  once  inundated  to  the 
depth  of  seven  feet,  and  there  being  no  outlet,  the  waters 
remained  in  possession  for  years.  To  prevent  such  another 
catastrophe,  with  all  its  attendant  loss  of  life  and  property, 
the  Spaniards,  in  1607,  began  digging  a huge  drainage 
tunnel,  which  cost  the  lives  of  thousands  of  unfortunate 
Indian  slaves.  Unaccustomed  to  hard  toil,  half  starved 
and  overworked,  they  speedily  succumbed  to  the  ill  treat- 
ment of  their  Spanish  taskmasters.  Their  labor,  after  all, 
was  in  vain,  for  when  the  tunnel  was  at  last  completed,  a 
large  portion  of  the  roof  caved  in.  Many  years  later  it 
was  decided  to  turn  the  tunnel  into  an  open  canal,  and  work 
on  this  continued  for  over  a hundred  years,  the  canal  being 
finished  in  1789.  It  was  known  as  the  Tajo  de  Nochistongo, 
and  remained  in  use  until  a few  years  ago,  but  was  never 
satisfactory.  It  was  then  supplanted  by  a modern  scheme 
of  drainage  carried  out  by  Pearson  & Sons,  which  has  proved 
a great  success  not  only  in  draining  the  overflow  of  the  lakes, 
but  in  carrying  off  the  city  sewage.  The  old  Tajo  is  now 
a dry  trench,  with  an  average  depth  of  two  hundred  feet, 
from  three  to  seven  hundred  feet  wide  at  the  top  and  slop- 
ing to  a few  feet  in  width  at  the  bottom.  It  is  nearly  five 
miles  long,  and  is  partly  used  as  a cutting  by  the  Mexican 
Central  Railway. 

It  is  curious  that  Cortes  should  have  built  his  city  on 
the  site  of  the  ancient  one  thus  placed  in  the  midst  of  lakes 
and  swamps,  with  the  accumulated  debris  and  filth  of  ages 
beneath  it.  He  had  plenty  of  higher  ground  to  choose 
from  near  at  hand.  It  is  difficult  also  to  understand  why 
he  did  not  select  a site  nearer  either  of  the  coasts.  Prob- 
ably he  was  tempted  by  the  fact  that  there  was  plenty  of 
building  material  at  hand  from  the  Aztec  temples  and  palaces 
which  he  destroyed.  Thus  it  was  that  the  site  of  the 
modern  Mexican  capital  was  most  unwisely  chosen,  and 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


55 


the  evil  results  of  it  are  still  experienced.  Even  to-day, 
a few  feet  below  the  surface  the  earth  is  soft  and  swampy, 
which  has  caused  many  of  the  buildings  to  settle  unevenly, 
while  it  has  also  made  the  drainage  of  the  city  extremely 
difficult. 

Much  has  been  done  to  mitigate  the  unfortunate  position 
of  the  capital ; but  the  death-rate  is  still  remarkably  high, 
particularly  in  the  winter.  The  average  duration  of  life 
is  said  to  be  only  twenty-six  years,  which  amazing  condition 
is  largely  due  to  infant  mortality.  Typhoid  and  malarial 
fevers  are  prevalent,  and  pneumonia  takes  heavy  toll. 
Owing  to  the  effect  of  the  rarefied  air  on  the  action  of  the 
heart  and  lungs,  diseases  of  these  organs  are  rarely  curable 
on  the  spot,  and  whenever  possible  patients  are  transferred 
for  treatment  to  lower  altitudes,  such  as  Cuernavaca  and 
Cuautla,  which  have  altitudes  of  about  five  thousand  feet. 

The  hopeless  ignorance  of  hygiene  and  the  entire  absence 
of  sanitary  conditions  of  life  among  the  working  classes  is 
largely  responsible  for  the  heavy  death-rate.  Their  dwell- 
ings are  mere  hovels,  their  habits  are  filthy,  their  clothes  are 
ragged,  and  the  foods  they  eat  are  ill-cooked  and  contain 
little  nourishment.  Thus  it  is  no  wonder  that  diseases, 
especially  those  associated  with  dirt,  such  as  smallpox  and 
typhus  fever,  are  terribly  common;  while  skin  diseases, 
scrofula,  rheumatism  and  bone  troubles  make  constant 
inroads  on  the  national  health.  No  precautions  being 
taken  to  insure  the  purity  of  the  drinking  water,  the  typhoid 
fiend  stalks  unchecked  among  the  lower  quarters  of  the  city. 
A report  of  the  American  consul  states  that  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  deaths  occurring  during  one  week  in  January, 
1908,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  were  from  ailments  of 
the  digestive  organs,  and  one  hundred  and  six  pulmonary. 
Bad  food,  coupled  with  sudden  changes  of  temperature,  were 
the  chief  causes  of  this  heavy  mortality. 


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MEXICO 


The  population  of  Mexico  City  is  thoroughly  cosmopolitan, 
for  it  contains  representatives  from  nearly  every  nation  of 
the  earth.  The  Indians  are  vastly  in  the  majority;  the 
half-breeds  or  meztizos,  who  call  themselves  the  Mexicans, 
ranking  next  in  number,  and  forming  the  great  middle  class. 
Then  there  is  the  richest  class,  for  the  most  part  of  pure 
Spanish  descent,  ^^whites,^^  as  they  like  to  call  themselves, 
from  whose  ranks  most  of  the  government  officials  are 
derived.  These  people  of  the  upper  class  are  not  all  dark ; 
still  a blonde  is  very  rare  among  them.  Most  of  them  are  of 
olive-brown  color,  suggesting,  in  spite  of  their  denial,  a 
mixture  of  Indian  blood;  for  in  the  early  days  it  was  not 
considered  a mesalliance  for  a Spanish  officer  of  even  high 
rank  to  marry  an  Aztec  maiden  of  the  better  class,  so  that 
Indian  blood  is,  in  fact,  very  widely  diffused  through  the 
Mexican  upper  classes. 

I had  a good  opportunity  to  observe  the  mixed  types 
of  the  city’s  population  when  I went  out  on  the  morning 
after  my  arrival,  for  in  marked  contrast  with  their  deserted 
appearance  the  night  before  the  streets  were  now  crowded, 
and  presented  a queer  motley  of  life.  Numbers  of  men 
and  just  a few  girls  (as  the  custom  of  employing  female 
clerks,  etc.,  is  only  beginning  to  be  adopted  in  Mexico’s 
capital)  were  hurrying  to  business.  Among  these  business 
men  and  clerks,  dressed  much  as  they  would  be  in  an  Amer- 
ican city,  were  moving  typical  Mexican  Indians  in  their 
cotton  attire,  blankets  and  straw  sombreros.  Their  wo- 
men, mostly  barefoot,  pattered  along  wrapt  in  their  rebosas. 
Sometimes  one  of  the  Indians  would  have  his  whole  family 
with  him,  a row  of  ragged  children,  straggling  behind  in 
single  file.  Filthy  little  urchins  of  Indian  newsboys,  with 
lank  black  hair,  brown,  smiling  faces,  and  merry  black  eyes, 
in  tattered  clothing  and  battered  straw  sombreros,  hawked 
their  papers  at  the  street  corners,  shouting  lustily,  ^^El 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


57 


Im-par-ci-ar’  and  Dia-r-io/’  giving  their  r’s  a peculiar 
long  trill.  Along  the  street  rode  a troop  of  Mexican  cav- 
alry, swarthy,  bronzed  fellows,  mounted  on  the  trim,  ser- 
viceable Mexican  pony,  and  dressed  in  blue  uniforms  and 
Austrian-shaped  kepis  of  glazed  leather,  their  rifles  strapped 
on  their  backs.  Here  and  there  I passed  a soldier  on  foot 
dressed  in  German  fashion,  a blue  uniform  with  red  facings, 
and  a brass-spiked  helmet.  The  scene  was  full  of  color 
and  vivid  contrasts.  Electric  street-cars  glided  by  packed 
with  people,  many  of  them  compelled  to  go  to  business 
in  true  strap-hanging  fashion.  Red  and  blue  cabs  were 
abroad,  and  now  and  again  an  automobile  dashed  past, 
its  horn  tooting  merrily ; while  the  quaint  old-world  country 
life  which  lay  outside  the  city  boundaries  was  represented 
by  a chance  country  wagon  drawn  by  oxen,  its  wheels 
clumsy  disks  cut  in  a solid  piece  from  some  huge  tree  trunk. 
The  weather  was  not  unpleasant,  for  although  the  sky  was 
still  overcast,  the  norther’^  was  moderating,  and  the  air 
was  slightly  milder. 

Passing  the  new  opera-house,  which  was  in  course  of 
erection,  and  on  which  a large  gang  of  workmen  were 
hammering  the  great  steel  framework  and  hoisting  stone, 
I came  to  the  new  Post-oflBce,  a magnificent  structure  of 
white  stone  and  marble  of  platero  or  mixed  Spanish  design. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  public  buildings  in  the  world, 
and  certainly  does  credit  to  Mexico,  though  its  actual  con- 
struction is  due  to  an  Italian  architect  and  American  con- 
tractors. The  interior  fittings  are  very  elaborate,  fine  mar- 
bles and  bronze  being  lavishly  used.  The  opera-house  is 
also  being  built  by  an  American  firm. 

Mexico  City  might  be  described  as  a sort  of  Americanized 
Madrid.  The  architecture  of  the  older  buildings  is  largely 
of  the  antique  Spanish  style,  with  a few  modifications 
adopted  for  domestic  and  climatic  reasons.  Many  of  these 


58 


MEXICO 


old  structures  are  being  rebuilt  in  much  the  same  style  as 
American  business  buildings;  and  the  Americanizing  pro- 
cess is  still  further  evidenced  by  some  large,  new  office 
buildings  of  American  design  which  have  been  erected  in 
recent  years.  One  peculiarity  which  is  shared  by  many 
of  the  buildings,  old  and  new,  is  the  absence  of  cellars, 
which  is  due  to  the  marshy  nature  of  the  soil.  Chimneys 
are  also  scarce,  as  fireplaces  are  seldom  used. 

The  streets  of  the  capital  are  laid  out  in  blocks  of  the 
familiar  chess-board  pattern,  on  the  same  system  as  that 
of  American  cities.  Looking  down  some  of  the  principal 
streets,  one  sees  a picturesque  mixture  of  ancient,  flat-roofed 
houses  of  stone  or  stucco,  now  used  for  business  purposes, 
seldom  over  three  stories  in  height,  usually  cream  white, 
and  having  the  familiar  balconies  round  the  first  story. 
Intermixed  with  these  are  modern  buildings  of  various 
heights  and  styles.  On  a clear  day,  with  a bright  blue  sky 
overhead,  the  views  down  some  of  the  older  streets  are  won- 
derfully attractive,  the  long  lines  of  buildings  of  mixed 
architecture  and  varied  shades  of  color  ending  in  a distant 
vista  of  reddish-tinted  mountains  which  overlook  the  city. 

Most  of  the  main  thoroughfares  have  an  up-to-date  and 
prosperous  appearance,  but  in  the  residential  districts  one 
catches  glimpses  at  the  crossways  of  queer,  dingy  side 
streets  in  which  the  houses,  with  their  faded,  cracked  stucco 
and  rusty  ironwork,  seem  to  have  been  painted  a hundred 
years  back  and  forgotten  ever  since.  In  many  of  these 
old-fashioned  streets,  houses  which  were  once  fashionable 
mansions  are  being  gradually  transformed  into  business 
buildings  or  are  used  as  boarding-houses.  In  one  quarter 
of  the  city  — quite  out  of  the  world  — I strolled  through 
some  narrow  streets  so  little  frequented  that  blades  of 
grass  were  sprouting  up  through  the  cobble-stone  paving. 
In  these  streets  were  some  fine  old  mansions,  evidently 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


69 


built  in  a long-past  age  and  once  the  homes  of  wealthy 
citizens;  but  the  district  had  become  unfashionable,  and 
the  ancient  mansions,  tenanted  by  a very  different  class 
of  people,  had  gradually  fallen  into  decay. 

All  these  old  houses  had  huge  double  doors,  some  of  them 
beautifully  carved,  which  opened  on  to  the  great  stone- 
paved  patio  with  its  fountains,  flowers  and  shrubbery,  with 
wdde  flights  of  stone  steps  leading  to  the  upper  galleries. 
This  is  the  invariable  arrangement  in  the  old  Mexican 
houses,  which  are  seldom  imposing  on  the  outside,  their 
rows  of  iron-barred  windows  giving  them  rather  a prison- 
like appearance.  A peculiar  feature  of  them  is  that  the 
family  usually  occupies  the  upper  stories,  the  ground  floor 
being  used  for  stables,  the  carriage  room,  and  the  servants' 
quarters.  Strange  to  the  American  eye  is  the  lack  of  chim- 
neys, already  referred  to,  which  is  due  to  the  fact  that  char- 
coal is  generally  used  in  Mexico  for  cooking  and  heating. 
Very  little  coal  is  found  in  the  country,  and  as  most  of  that 
used  is  imported  from  abroad,  it  is  rather  an  expensive  lux- 
ury. All  through  the  city  the  charcoal  sellers  can  be  seen 
making  their  rounds  with  the  cry  of  ^^Carbosin"  (charcoal). 
Poor  families  have  to  content  themselves  with  a few  small 
pieces  — just  enough  to  cook  their  frugal  meals  of  tortillas 
and  frijoles. 

Most  of  the  business  buildings  which  have  been  recently 
erected  or  reconstructed  have  rather  an  American  look, 
the  sign-boards  helping  to  give  this  impression.  I noticed, 
for  instance,  such  familiar  signs  as  ‘^La  Maquina  Singer" 
(Singer  Sewing  Machine),  ‘^Maquina  Escribir  Remington" 
(Remington  Typewriter),  American  Cash  Register," 
‘^Quaker  Oats"  and  American  Electric  Co.,"  all  indica- 
tions of  the  great  American  invasion.  There  were  also 
some  other  signs  of  it. 

Americans  seemed  to  swarm  everywhere  — in  the  streets, 


60 


MEXICO 


in  stores^  in  offices,  and  likewise  in  the  drinking  places; 
for  several  American  bars  have  lately  been  started  in  the 
central  district.  These  are  popular  meeting  places  for  a 
large  class  of  Americans  who  come  down  to  Mexico  in 
search  of  employment  or  to  embark  in  business  in  a small 
way.  In  one  short  street  I saw  an  Americanized  barber^s 
shop,  an  American  grocery  store,  an  American  drinking 
saloon,  an  American  billiard  room,  an  American  boot- 
black’s stand,  and  encountered  so  many  Americans  that  it 
was  difficult  to  realize  that  I was  in  Mexico  City  and  not  in 
Chicago  or  New  York.  As  the  result  of  this  invasion,  the 
principal  shops  make  a great  point  of  catering  for  Americans, 
and  display  the  announcement  so  often  seen  abroad, 
English  spoken  here.”  Some  ultra-patriotic  Americans 
object  to  this  frequent  use  of  the  word  English,”  and  tell 
the  Mexicans  that  it  should  be  changed  to  United  States.” 
While  becoming  gradually  Americanized,  Mexico  City  is, 
however,  still  cosmopolitan ; for  in  a short  radius  one  can 
see  a French  costumier’s,  Spanish  wines  and  groceries,  a 
German  hardware  store  and  agencies  of  several  important 
European  firms  of  various  nationalities. 

Some  of  the  finest  buildings  in  the  city  are  in  Calle  Cinco 
de  Mayo  (Fifth  of  May  Street) , a sort  of  Mexican  Wall  Street, 
where  there  are  several  new  American  office  buildings  — 
skyscrapers  of  ten  or  more  stories  — most  of  them  being 
the  offices  of  railway  companies.  One  of  the  best  buildings 
is  occupied  by  the  Mexican  Light  and  Power  Company, 
a Canadian  corporation  supplying  electric  power  for  light- 
ing, running  factories,  street-cars,  etc.,  from  its  works  at  a 
great  waterfall  about  forty  miles  out. 

Some  of  the  old  buildings  used  to-day  for  business  pur- 
poses date  perhaps  from  the  sixteen  hundreds;  but  they 
have  lost  their  antique  appearance  as  far  as  the  outside  is 
concerned.  Through  their  great  square  doorways,  how- 


lALLE  CINCO  DE  MAYO. 
Mexico  City’s  Wall  Street. 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


61 


ever,  can  be  seen  the  true  old-fashioned  patio,  with  its 
galleries  around  each  story,  its  central  fountain  and  shrub- 
bery. Some  of  these  old  buildings  were  once  the  mansions 
of  Spanish  grandees,  and  fine  carved  fronts  are  to  be  seen. 
Among  the  most  notable  of  the  older  buildings  is  the  former 
residence  of  the  Escandon  family  in  the  Calle  San  Fran- 
cisco, which  is  now  cut  up  into  offices,  the  first  floor  being 
the  ticket  office  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railway. 

Next  to  the  Escandon  mansion  is  the  Jockey  Club,  com- 
monly known  as  the  House  of  Tiles,  built  by  the  Count  del 
Valle  in  the  eighteenth  century  as  a private  residence. 
Its  exterior  is  entirely  covered  with  porcelain  tiles  of  blue 
and  white,  imported  from  China  at  great  cost.  The  en- 
trance is  massive,  and  the  grand  stairway  is  a superb  piece 
of  work,  practically  unaltered  from  the  olden  days.  A 
large  lamp  with  an  alabaster  shade,  which  hangs  on  the 
landing,  has  a grim  association,  for  it  was  beneath  its  light 
that  the  Count  was  assassinated.  Throughout  the  interior 
the  decoration  is  largely  done  in  porcelain  tiles ; and  tum- 
bago,  a valuable  composite  imported  from  China,  has  been 
used  for  the  balustrading. 

The  Jockey  Club  is  the  most  exclusive  of  all  Mexican 
clubs,  very  few  foreign  members  being  admitted.  Mexicans 
are  not  clubable  in  the  American  or  English  sense,  and  in- 
stead of  being  founded  in  the  interests  of  horse-racing  or 
social  intercourse,  the  original  object  of  the  Jockey  Club 
was  gambling.  This  was  conducted  to  such  a scandalous 
extent  that,  it  is  said.  President  Diaz,  in  his  autocratic 
fashion,  had  a few  years  back  to  put  a stop  to  the  ruinously 
high  stakes  which  were  played  for.  At  the  present  time 
the  Jockey  Club  is  practically  a social  club,  where  baccarat 
is  played  chiefly  as  an  amusement,  and  the  club  now  justi- 
fies its  name  by  owning  a race-track  near  the  city,  where 
meetings  are  held  in  the  autumn  and  spring. 


62 


MEXICO 


One  of  the  most  interesting  streets  in  the  capital  is  Calle 
San  Francisco  (San  Francisco  Street) , Mexico  City^s  Broad- 
way, which  is  the  most  Americanized  street  of  all  and  a 
great  resort  for  tourists.  The  numerous  curio  stores  in 
this  popular  thoroughfare  are  owned  principally  by  Ameri- 
cans, and  in  their  windows  are  attractive  displays  of  Mexi- 
can pottery,  feather-work,  opals,  drawn-work,  sarapes 
and  Mexican  trinkets  — many  of  the  latter  suspiciously 
suggestive  of  Waltham  or  Meriden,  U.  S.  A.  — and  of  course 
quantities  of  picture  postcards.  There  are  also  several 
American  bookstores  where  American  and  English  maga- 
zines and  newspapers  are  sold. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  street  the  shops  are  not  imposing, 
being  much  as  one  would  see  in  a small  French  town ; but 
farther  down  are  some  really  fine  establishments,  jewelers, 
and  others,  which  would  do  credit  to  Fifth  Avenue.  Here, 
too,  there  are  several  dulcerias  (a  combination  of  confec- 
tioner’s and  cafe)  where  pastry,  tea,  coffee,  and  chocolate  are 
served.  At  these  places,  contrary  to  the  usual  Mexican 
custom,  there  are  girl  waitresses,  most  of  them  dark-skinned, 
Indian-looking  ^^meztizas,”  very  few  of  whom  would  take 
the  first  prize  in  a beauty  contest.  In  this  street  there  are 
some  of  the  largest  hotels,  including  the  Iturbide,  and  also 
some  of  the  leading  restaurants.  Over  the  Gambrinus,  a 
German  restaurant  conducted  by  an  enterprising  Italian, 
the  British  Club  has  its  rooms,  where  the  travelling  Briton, 
with  proper  credentials,  can  find  an  agreeable  resting-place. 
Mexico,  Germany,  Italy,  England  — truly  a cosmopolis  ! 

In  and  around  San  Francisco  Street  there  are  a few 
department  stores  of  the  American  type,  selling  a little 
of  everything,  and  conducted  on  the  American  system. 
These  establishments  also  announce  their  bargains  in  true 
American  style.  Plastered  over  the  windows  are  such 
appeals  as  ‘^Ojo,  gran  barata,  ojo”  (Look  at  the  great 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


63 


bargains;  just  look  at  them);  '' Precios  muy  reducidos^' 
(Prices  greatly  reduced)*;  '^Gran  reduccion’’  (Great  re- 
duction). One  worthy  shopkeeper^  with  a limited  knowl- 
edge of  English,  announced  ‘^Gods  at  the  cut  price/' 
evidently  a Mexican  variation  of  the  popular  American 
expression,  Goods  at  cut  prices.’’  Some  shops,  in  a des- 
perate attempt  to  Anglicize  themselves  and  appear  very  up 
to  date,  have  christened  themselves  ^^Fashionable,”  ^^Old 
England,”  ‘^High  Life”  (pronounced  Mg  leef),  ^^Five 
o’clock,”  Royal  Club.” 

In  one  restaurant  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  Eng- 
lish” the  bill  of  fare,  with  such  lamentable  results  as  ^^Beef- 
steati  viete”  (for  sirloin  steak)  and  ^^Cocteel”  (cocktail). 
One  of  the  dulcerias,  too,  which  caters  for  English  and 
American  patronage  and  serves  American  “breakfast 
foods,  ” had  made  a brave  attempt  to  translate  some  of  their 
weird  names  for  the  benefit  of  customers,  the  menu  card 
being  a hotch-potch  of  Spanish  and  English.  The  trans- 
lator started  off  with  oatmeal,  which  he  transformed  into 
“avena,”  this  word  having  to  do  duty  in  describing  various 
cereals  of  a totally  different  character,  “ Shredded- wheat 
biscuit,”  for  instance,  appearing  as  “Biscochos  de  avena.” 
But  when  at  last  he  came  to  such  terrifying  names  as 
“Puffed  Rice,”  “Roasted  Pearl  Grits”  and  “Syrup  Waf- 
fles,” he  had  evidently  given  up  the  task  in  despair,  as  there 
was  a long  series  of  melancholy  blanks.  The  translated 
terms  were  not  exactly  a success.  I ordered  some  “Bis- 
cochos  de  avena,  ” and  the  waitress  brought  me  an  omelette  ! 

Every  shop  in  the  city  has  a name  painted  over  the  door, 
and  sometimes  they  are  very  picturesque.  It  is  all  much 
like  the  old  English  custom  of  the  sign-board,  “At  the  sign 
of  the  Boot,”  “The  Leather  Bottle,”  etc.,  but  the  names 
are  not  always  so  appropriate.  Thus  one  drug  store  calls 
itself  the  “Gate  to  Heaven,”  and  a drinking  saloon  is  “The 


64 


MEXICO 


Bait  of  the  DeviP^*  a hat  shop  is  entitled  Sombrero 
Rojo^^  (the  red  hat),  a petty  tobacconist^s  is  Universo/^ 

while  a grocer  calls  his  establishment  ^^El  Puerto  de  New 
York/’  although  it  appears  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  that 
city.  Other  stores  were  labelled  ‘^La  Ciudad  de  Londres” 
(City  of  London),  “La  Suiza”  (the  Swiss  Woman),  etc. 
But  the  custom  is  gradually  dying  out,  and  the  common- 
place system  of  putting  up  the  firm’s  name  is  coming  into 
vogue.  Mexican  shopkeepers  are  evidently  alive  to  the 
sweet  uses  of  advertisement.  They  stock  the  latest  novel- 
ties and  lavishly  advertise  in  the  newspapers,  and  with 
wall-posters  and  street-car  signs.  Even  the  drop-curtains 
of  the  theatres  are  adorned  with  advice  to  the  audience  as 
to  the  best  drinking  saloon,  the  cheapest  tailor’s  or  the 
best  cure  for  corns. 

Some  of  the  streets  have  names  as  grotesque  as  those 
of  the  stores,  which  is  very  bewildering,  as  there  are  over 
nine  hundred  streets,  and  each  in  its  length  will  rechristen 
itself  at  almost  every  street  corner.  San  Francisco  Street, 
for  instance,  is  called  First  San  Francisco,  Second  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Third  San  Francisco.  Some  streets  bear  the 
names  of  men  honored  in  Mexican  history.  Others  are  of  an 
elaborate  religious  character,  such  as  “Calle  Amor  de  Dios” 
(Love  of  God  Street),  “ Calle  Espiritu  Santo ” (Holy  Ghost 
Street),  “Sepulchre  of  the  Holy  Ghost  Street,”  “Sabbath 
Street,”  etc.  Some  names  are  grotesque,  such  as  “Sad 
Indian  Street,”  “Pass  if  you  can  Street,”  “Lost  Child 
Street,”  “Street  of  the  Wood  Owls,”  “Bridge  of  the  Raven 
Street,”  “Walking  Priest  Street.”  Sometimes  a street 
at  a special  spot  is  called  “Puente,”  such  as  “Puente  de 
San  Francisco,”  which  means  that  there  was  originally 
a bridge  over  a canal,  but  the  canal  has  disappeared  ages 
ago.  As  in  London,  some  streets  belong  to  certain  indus- 
tries. For  instance,  there  is  “Coffin-makers’  Street,” 


MEXICO  CITY  BY  NIGHT 


65 


entirely  given  over  to  that  lugubrious  calling.  The  nar- 
rowness of  the  sidewalks  in  the  busy  streets  causes  many 
people  to  walk  in  the  roadway,  and  as  these  thoroughfares 
are  always  thronged  during  the  daytime,  the  city  seems  to 
have  a much  larger  population  than  it  really  has. 

Shopping  and  shopkeeping  in  Mexico  City  have  several 
odd  features.  In  the  old-fashioned  stores,  for  example, 
the  salesmen  stand  in  a row  behind  the  counters  like  a file 
of  soldiers.  Smoking  is  permitted,  and  the  salesman  meas- 
ures off  a yard  of  cloth  or  fits  you  with  new  collars  between 
the  puffs  of  his  cigarette.  In  the  smaller  establishments 
the  prices  quoted  are  always  higher  than  you  are  expected 
to  pay,  for  the  Mexican  shopkeeper  assumes  that  his  cus- 
tomer is  a bargain-driver.  This  is  also  true  of  the  Mexican 
stall-keepers  in  the  markets,  who  always  demand  about 
three  times  the  real  price  of  their  wares.  Some  of  the  goods 
in  the  stores  are  surprisingly  cheap,  but  most  of  them  are 
dear  from  the  American  point  of  view.  This  is  due  to  the 
high  protective  tariff,  which  imposes  a heavy  duty  on  most 
imports.  American  toilet  articles  and  patent  medicines 
are  about  twice  the  regular  price;  furniture,  too,  is  very 
expensive,  and  all  clothing,  hats,  shoes,  gloves,  etc.,  are 
very  dear.  Probably  the  expensiveness  of  women^s  cloth- 
ing is  the  reason  for  the  poverty-stricken  appearance  of  so 
many  Mexican  women  of  the  lower  middle  class. 

Wherever  you  walk,  ragged  Indian  men,  women  and 
boys  badger  you  with  the  persistent  cry  of  “Boleto  por  la 
loteria,  por  manana,  senor’^  (Tickets  for  to-morrow’s 
lottery,  sir).  Second-rate  shops,  too,  expose  these  tickets 
for  sale.  There  are  all  kinds  of  lotteries,  for  the  Mexicans 
are  born  gamblers,  and  people  of  all  classes  buy  the  tickets. 
Some  of  the  lotteries  are  conducted  by  the  National  and 
State  governments  and  bring  in  large  revenue.  There  are 
also  private  lotteries  of  various  kinds,  and  even  on  the 


66 


MEXICO 


backs  of  the  street-car  tickets,  and  on  coupons  in  cigarette 
packets  are  the  fateful  words  entitling  you  to  some  kind 
of  drawing.  The  prizes  generally  range  from  fifty  cents  to 
$50,000,  and  the  tickets  vary  in  price  from  twenty-five 
cents  to  $25.  Men  have  sometimes  founded  their  fortunes 
by  winning  a lottery  prize,  and  thus  procuring  the  capital 
to  embark  in  business.  While  I was  in  Mexico,  a poor  peon 
invested  all  his  savings  in  a ticket  and  won  $10,000,  a sum 
sufficient  to  keep  him  in  luxury  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Enlightened  Mexicans  regard  these  lotteries  as  a great 
public  evil,  and  would  have  them  suppressed,  but  public 
opinion  is  too  strongly  in  their  favor.  An  important  con- 
cession to  public  morals  has,  however,  been  made  in  recent 
years  by  the  closing  of  the  public  gambling  houses  which 
were  once  common  in  the  city. 

One  of  the  worst  features  of  Mexico  City  is  the  swarm  of 
beggars,  who  constitute  a serious  nuisance.  Filthily  dirty 
and  truly  worthy  of  the  title,  ^Werminous  persons,  ’Hhelame, 
the  halt,  the  blind,  and  able-bodied  rogues  and  vagrants 
are  encountered  almost  everywhere,  demanding  centavos. 
Beggars  are  common  throughout  Mexico,  but  they  are  seen 
at  their  worst  in  the  capital.  The  city  government  has 
made  an  afdempt  to  check  this  nuisance  by  compelling  each 
beggar  to  take  out  a license,  which,  it  is  true,  costs  nothing, 
but  is  only  issued  on  proof  of  the  beggar’s  actual  want. 
As  elsewhere,  these  hordes  of  cadgers  have  undoubtedly 
been  much  encouraged  by  the  public,  and  especially  by 
American  tourists,  whose  indiscriminate  charity,  however 
well  intended,  has  only  served  to  increase  the  begging 
nuisance. 


CHAPTER  IV 


MEXICO,  PAST  AND  PRESENT 

Just  as  in  order  to  understand  modern  Mexico  one  must 
know  something  of  her  past,  so  in  order  to  fully  appreciate 
Mexico’s  fascinating  history,  which  has  been  so  graphically 
related  in  the  pages  of  Prescott,  one  must  stand  upon  the 
historical  ground  where  the  drama  of  the  country  was  un- 
folded. Gazing  on  the  spot  where  once  stood  the  great 
temple  of  the  Mexican  gods  and  the  palace  of  Montezuma, 
upon  the  identical  place  where  the  Spaniards  were  butchered 
by  the  Aztecs  during  the  sorrowful  night”  of  their  flight 
from  the  city,  upon  the  tree  beneath  which  Cortes  wept 
over  this  defeat,  the  stranger  cannot  help  but  feel  emotion, 
hov/ever  lethargic  his  interest  may  previously  have  been. 
Fully  as  thrilling  are  the  events  which  followed  the  War  of 
Independence  in  1811,  when  Spanish  rule  came  to  an  end  in 
Mexico,  the  series  of  revolutions  which  followed,  and  the 
incidental  wars  of  invasion ; for  twice  during  the  past  cen- 
tury the  Mexican  capital  has  been  occupied  by  foreign 
armies  and  its  streets  have  resounded,  in  turn,  to  the  strains 
of  Yankee  Doodle  and  the  Marseillaise.  The  present  is 
the  child  of  the  past,  and  the  influence  of  all  these  strange 
events  may  be  traced  in  greater  or  lesser  measure  in  the 
development  of  the  Mexican  people  to-day. 

Mexico’s  earliest  history  is  unfortunately  shrouded  in 
profound  mystery.  The  native  records,  which  might  have 
thrown  some  light  upon  it,  were  ruthlessly  destroyed  at  the 

67 


68 


MEXICO 


time  of  the  Spanish  conquest,  when  ignorance  and  bigotry 
were  active  in  stamping  out  all  traces  of  native  culture. 

After  the  conquest,  several  Spanish  chroniclers  collected 
the  oral  traditions  of  the  conquered  people,  while  certain 
native  writers  who  had  learned  Spanish  wrote  what  pur- 
ported to  be  a history  of  their  country.  This  great  mass  of 
material,  which  has  been  so  fascinatingly  condensed  and 
presented  by  Prescott  in  his  Conquest  of  Mexico,’^  is  a 
curious  blending  of  fact  and  fiction.  On  one  point,  how- 
ever, all  narrations  agree,  namely,  that  Mexico  is  a country 
of  great  antiquity  and  has  been  peopled  by  a succession  of 
races.  Of  these  early  inhabitants  almost  nothing  is  known. 

Scattered  all  over  Mexico  are  the  ruins  of  cities,  temples 
and  palaces  built  in  remote  periods,  and  which  were  prob- 
ably in  much  the  same  condition  ages  before  the  Spaniards 
came.  The  mystery  which  surrounds  their  prehistoric 
builders  is  deepened  by  the  strange  relics  of  the  past  which 
are  being  constantly  unearthed.  Jade  beads  which  un- 
doubtedly came  from  China  are  found  with  stone  idols 
and  statues  of  marked  Egyptian  appearance;  while  inter- 
mixed with  pyramids  which  recall  those  of  early  Egypt 
are  ruins  of  temples  and  palaces,  the  architecture  of  which 
bears  a singular  resemblance  to  that  of  Japan.  Among 
the  Indian  races  of  Mexico  to-day  certain  customs  exist 
which  seem  to  have  had  their  origin  in  the  Far  East ; and 
there  is  much  resemblance  between  the  religion  of  the  early 
inhabitants  and  that  of  China  and  India.  These  facts 
have  led  many  historians  to  believe  that  some  connection 
was  actually  established  between  ancient  Mexico  and  the 
Orient. 

According  to  native  traditions,  the  whole  of  Mexico  was 
originally  known  as  Anahuac,  and  was  inhabited  by  a suc- 
cession of  highly  cultured  races  who  built  the  vast  temples 
and  palaces,  the  ruins  of  which  still  exist.  The  most  ad- 


MEXICO,  PAST  AND  PBESENT 


69 


vanced  of  these  were  the  Toltecs,  who  were  said  to  have 
come  from  some  unknown  land.  Prescott  represents  them 
as  having  arrived  in  Anahuac  in  the  seventh  century; 
other  authorities  believe  that  they  entered  the  country 
fully  five  thousand  years  earlier.  The  Toltecs  are  said  to 
have  built  a wonderful  city  called  Tula^  and  an  attempt 
has  been  made  to  identify  this  prehistoric  city  with  a little 
village  of  adobe  huts  and  magnificent  ruins  not  far  from 
the  capital.  This  is  but  one  of  many  instances  in  which 
Toltec  names  of  towns  and  districts  still  survive. 

It  was  at  Tula,  according  to  ancient  legends,  that  Quet- 
zalcoatl,  a mysterious  messiah,  known  as  the  Fair  God, 
made  his  appearance.  He  was  a white  man  with  a long, 
flowing  beard  who  taught  the  Toltecs  the  arts  of  civiliza- 
tion, agriculture  and  war,  then  sailed  away  to  the  west  to 
return  to  his  own  country.  After  his  departure  he  was 
deified  by  the  Toltecs,  who  represented  him  in  their  sculp- 
tures as  a winged  serpent.  He  had  promised  to  return 
after  many  years,  and  this  pledge  was  handed  down  from 
generation  to  generation. 

All  traditions  agree  that  the  Toltecs  were  a people  of 
wonderful  culture ; that  they  were  peaceful  and  temperate, 
had  reached  a high  moral  plane,  and  had  a form  of  reli- 
gion which  was  largely  nature- worship.  Fruit  and  flowers 
were  offered  in  their  temples,  which  were  never  stained  with 
human  blood  as  in  later  Aztec  times.  Castes  existed  among 
them,  and  as  in  the  case  of  some  races  of  the  Far  East, 
they  had  two  written  languages,  one  of  which  was  used 
when  addressing  superiors,  the  other  for  inferiors.  Their 
social  classes  were  divided  into  priests,  warriors,  merchants 
and  tillers  of  the  soil.  They  also  had  an  elaborate  feudal 
system. 

The  empire  of  the  Toltecs  was  eventually  overthrown  by 
an  invasion  of  fierce  tribes  who  swept  down  through  Mexico 


70 


MEXICO 


from  the  north,  followed  in  turn  by  races  of  higher  civiliza^ 
tion,  perhaps  akin  to  the  Toltecs,  whose  language  they  ap- 
pear to  have  spoken.  The  Toltecs  gradually  relinquished 
possession  of  the  country  and  retired  southwards,  while  the 
invaders  apparently  acquired  some  of  the  culture  of  the 
people  whom  they  had  displaced.  Some  of  them,  notably 
the  Tezcucans,  eventually  made  great  progress  in  the  arts 
of  civilization.  Some  of  these  tribes  developed  a system 
of  picture-writing  resembling  somewhat  that  of  the  North 
American  Indians.^ 

^ An  interesting  specimen  of  these  picture-writings,  which  is  pre- 
served in  Mexico,  records  how  the  ancestors  of  the  Tarascan  Indians 
inhabiting  the  State  of  Michoacan,  came  down  into  Anahuac  from 
the  far  north.  A reproduction  of  this  ancient  record  is  given  on  the 
opposite  page. 

According  to  tradition,  the  Tarascans  were  one  of  nine  tribes  who 
wandered  down  to  Mexico,  having  emerged  from  seven  caves  in  the 
west,  and  passing  a narrow  arm  of  the  sea  on  wooden  rafts  or  hurdles 
made  of  canoes  fastened  together.  They  marched  together  from  this 
place,  and  after  many  days  halted  at  a large  tree,  in  the  trunk  of  which 
an  altar  was  erected  to  the  god  Huitzilolvehtli.  While  encamped 
there,  the  tree  suddenly  split  in  the  middle.  Taking  this  as  a bad 
omen,  the  heads  of  the  tribes  consulted  the  god,  who  advised  them  to 
take  separate  roads,  which  was  done,  some  of  the  tribes  going  in  one 
direction  and  others  in  another.  The  Tarascans  eventually  took 
possession  of  the  country  around  Lake  Patzcuaro. 

These  scenes  are  all  depicted  in  the  record.  The  square  at  the 
upper  right-hand  corner  shows  the  tribes  emerging  from  the  caves, 
led  by  their  nine  high  priests ; and  intersecting  the  squares  are  lines 
showing  the  road  they  took.  Each  square  depicts  some  incident  in 
their  long  wanderings,  a special  feature  being  made  of  their  encamp- 
ment at  the  tree  of  Huitzilolvehtli.  Over  the  squares  are  inscriptions 
in  the  Tarascan  and  Mexican  languages,  supposed  to  have  been  added 
by  native  writers  some  years  after  the  Spanish  conquest.  Some  of 
the  words  have  been  translated ; the  meaning  of  others  is  unknown. 
Two  colors  are  used  in  the  drawing  — black  and  red.  The  latter  is 
used  only  for  the  line  which  indicates  the  road  followed  and  for  the 
species  of  shirt  or  jacket  worn  by  the  individuals  who  appear  to  be 
chiefs  or  priests. 

Speaking  of  these  picture-writings,  Prescott  says:  “A  Mexican 
manuscript  looks  usually  like  a collection  of  pictures,  each  one  form- 


ANCIENT  PICTURE  RECORD. 
Describing  the  migration  of  the  Tarascans. 


MEXICO,  PAST  AND  PBESENT 


71 


Chief  among  the  invading  tribes  were  the  Aztecs^  who  are 
supposed  to  have  come  from  northern  California  and  made 
their  way  southward.  According  to  Aztec  legends,  they 
were  told  by  an  oracle  that  they  should  build  a great  city 
on  a site  that  would  be  indicated  by  an  eagle  perched  on  the 
stem  of  a cactus  or  prickly  pear  with  a serpent  in  his  talons. 
In  1325,  so  tradition  says,  they  arrived  in  the  Valley  of 
Mexico,  where  the  capital  now  stands,  led  by  their  high 
priest,  Tenoch,  a sort  of  Aztec  Moses,  whose  name  meant 

the  stone  cactus.”  As  they  approached  the  lake,  the 
site  of  the  present  city,  they  beheld  a golden  eagle  stand- 
ing on  a prickly  pear,  holding  in  his  talons  a serpent, 
as  had  been  predicted.  In  obedience  to  the  sign,  the 
Aztecs  settled  at  the  lake,  built  their  temple  and 
founded  a great  city,’ which  they  called  Tenochtitlan,  after 

ing  the  subject  of  a separate  study.  The  Aztecs  had  various  emblems 
for  expressing  such  things  as  from  their  nature  could  not  be  directly 
represented  by  the  painter.  A ‘tongue/  for  example,  denoted  speak- 
ing; a ‘footprint,’  travelling;  ‘man  on  the  ground,’  an  earthquake. 
These  symbols  were  often  very  arbitrary,  varying  with  the  caprice 
of  the  writer;  and  it  required  a nice  discrimination  to  interpret  them, 
as  a slight  change  in  the  form  or  position  of  the  figure  intimated,  a very 
different  meaning.  They  also  employed  phonetic  signs,  though  these 
were  chiefly  confined  to  the  names  of  persons  and  places.  Lastly, 
the  pictures  were  colored  in  gaudy  contrasts,  so  as  to  produce  the  most 
vivid  impression,  for  even  colors  speak  in  the  Aztec  hieroglyphics. 

“ Clumsy  as  it  was,  however,  the  Aztec  picture-writing  enabled  the 
people  to  digest  a complete  system  of  chronology  and  to  specify  with 
accuracy  the  dates  of  the  most  important  events  in  their  history. 
Serving  as  a sort  of  stenography  or  collection  of  notes,  these  writings 
were  used  in  the  colleges  of  the  priests,  where  the  youth  were  in- 
structed in  astronomy,  history,  mythology,  etc.  This  combination 
of  the  written  and  oral  comprehended  what  may  be  called  the  litera- 
ture of  the  Aztecs, 

“The  manuscripts  were  made  of  different  materials,  cotton  cloth 
or  skins  nicely  prepared ; a composition  of  silk  and  gum ; but  for  the 
most  part  a kind  of  paper  made  from  the  leaves  of  the  maguey.  The 
few  Mexican  manuscripts  which  are  now  preserved  in  Europe  have 
been  reproduced  in  Lord  Kingsborough’s  magnificent  work,  ‘The 
Antiquities  of  Mexico.’  ” 


72 


MEXICO 


the  holy  sign  and  their  priestly  guide,  the  word  meaning 
^Hhe  place  of  the  cactus.’’  The  legend  of  the  eagle,  the 
serpent  and  the  prickly  pear  is  now  preserved  in  the  Mexican 
arms,  and  is  perpetuated  on  the  coins  and  the  national 
banner. 

In  later  years  the  city  was  called  Mexico  after  Mextili, 
the  Aztec  God  of  War,  and  this  name  was  eventually  given 
to  the  entire  country. 

The  ancient  city  of  the  Aztecs  bore  some  resemblance 
to  Venice,  some  of  the  houses  resting  on  piles,  others  being 
built  on  the  numerous  islands,  with  canals  intersecting  the 
various  parts  of  the  city.  Massive  stone  structures,  re- 
sembling those  of  Egypt,  were  reared,  including  the  great 
Teocalli  or  Temple  of  the  Aztec  gods,  in  pyramidal  form, 
over  a hundred  feet  high,  with  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
steps,  reaching  from  the  ground  to  the  esplanade,  broad 
enough  for  thirty  horsemen  to  march  abreast.  Great 
paved  causeways  led  from  the  city  to  the  surrounding 
villages. 

The  Aztecs,  at  first,  were  a fierce,  migratory  people ; but 
after  their  arrival  in  Mexico  they  seem  to  have  acquired 
the  civilization  of  the  tribes  by  whom  they  were  surrounded, 
who  had  inherited  the  arts  and  civilization  of  the  Toltecs 
or  other  races  whom  they  had  succeeded.  Having  made 
great  advancement  in  the  arts  of  war,  the  Aztecs  gradually 
subjugated  the  surrounding  nations  and  extended  their 
sway  over  a large  part  of  Mexico.  The  empire  of  their 
great  king,  Montezuma  I,  was  established  about  1460. 
Under  this  monarch  their  power  and  prestige  greatly  in- 
creased. 

The  Aztecs  and  other  races  inhabiting  Mexico  at  this 
time  were  largely  sun-worshippers,  their  religion  being 
distinguished  by  the  most  cruel  and  terrible  ceremonies. 
Prisoners  of  war,  slaves  and  other  victims  were  slaughtered 


MEXICO,  PAST  AND  PRESENT 


73 


by  thousands  in  the  temples.  When  the  great  temple  of 
Tenochtitlan  was  dedicated,  twenty  thousand  are  said  to 
have  been  sacrificed  in  four  days.  In  the  centre  of  this 
temple  stood  the  sacrificial  stone  now  in  the  Mexican  Na- 
tional Museum.  On  this  the  victim  was  stretched,  when  his 
body  was  cut  open  by  the  officiating  priest,  and  his  heart 
being  torn  out  was  offered  to  the  sun  and  the  ferocious 
God  of  War.  The  bodies  of  the  sacrificed  were  afterwards 
devoured  by  the  populace.  Thousands  of  skulls,  the  result 
of  this  butchery,  were  formed  into  a huge  pyramid  in  the 
temple,  the  walls  and  floor  of  which  reeked  with  blood. 

Apart  from  their  terrible  religious  ceremonies,  the  Aztecs 
were  a remarkable  and  cultured  race.  Even  in  their  reli- 
gion they  recognized  a supreme  being,  and  some  of  their 
prayers  which  have  been  handed  down  are  remarkable  for 
their  lofty  sentiments  and  the  beauty  of  their  language.^ 

^ In  contemplating  the  religious  system  of  the  Aztecs/’  says  Pres- 
cott, “one  is  struck  by  this  apparent  incongruity,  as  though  some 
portion  of  it  had  emanated  from  a comparatively  refined  people  open 
to  gentle  influences,  while  the  rest  breathes  a spirit  of  unmitigated 
ferocity.  It  naturally  suggests  the  idea  of  two  distinct  sources,  and 
authorizes  the  belief  that  the  Aztecs  had  inherited  from  their  pred- 
ecessors a milder  faith  on  which  was  afterwards  engrafted  their  own 
mythology.” 

The  Aztecs  recognized  the  existence  of  a supreme  being,  the  Lord 
of  the  universe.  They  addressed  Him  in  their  prayers  as  “ the  God 
by  whom  we  live,”  “omnipresent,”  “that  knoweth  all  thoughts  and 
giveth  all  gifts,”  “without  whom  man  is  nothing,”  “the  invisible, 
incorporeal,  one  God  of  perfect  perfection  and  purity,”  “under  whose 
wings  we  find  repose  and  a sure  defence.”  These  sublime  attributes 
infer  no  inadequate  conception  of  the  true  God.  But  the  idea  of  unity 
was  too  simple  or  too  vast  for  their  understandings,  and  they  sought 
relief  in  a plurality  of  deities  who  presided  over  the  elements,  the 
changes  of  the  seasons  and  the  occupations  of  man.  Of  these  there 
were  thirteen  principal  deities  and  more  than  two  hundred  inferior. 
At  the  head  of  these  stood  the  terrible  Huitzilopochtli,  the  Mexican 
Mars,  the  patron  deity  of  the  nation.  His  temples  were  the  most 
stately  of  the  public  edifices,  and  his  altars  reeked  with  the  blood  of 
human  hecatombs  in  every  city  of  the  empire.  At  the  dedication  of 


74 


MEXICO 


They  were  learned  in  astronomy;  were  good  lapidaries 
and  potters,  workers  in  silver  and  gold  and  weavers  of 
cotton  and  silk.  They  cultivated  the  land  thoroughly, 
and  had  developed  elaborate  systems  of  irrigation. 
Commerce  was  organized;  towns  and  villages  were  con- 
nected by  roadways ; and  law  and  order  prevailed.  They 
had  an  ingenious  method  of  picture-writing  and  a regular 
system  of  education  for  the  young. 

The  doom  of  the  Aztec  empire  and  its  neighbors  was 
sealed  in  1519,  when  Hernando  Cortes  landed  in  Mexico 
on  his  expedition  of  conquest.  He  had  a fleet  of  11  ships 
carrying  110  sailors,  16  cavalrymen  with  their  horses, 
553  foot-soldiers,  200  Cuban  natives,  a battery  of  10  small 
cannon  and  4 falconets.  To  check  mutiny  among  his 
Spanish  followers  and  to  prevent  them  from  seizing  the 
ships  and  retreating,  Cortes  burned  his  vessels  at  Vera 
Cruz,  then  marched  inland  to  the  capital  of  the  Aztecs. 
Montezuma  II  then  reigned  in  Tenochtitlan.  He  had  been 
informed  of  Cortes’  arrival  by  spies  who  had  been  sent  down 
to  the  coast.  By  relays  of  runners  it  was  possible  for  a 
message  to  reach  the  Aztec  capital  (265  miles  from  the  coast) 
in  twelve  hours.  It  is  said  that  fish  caught  at  Vera  Cruz 
in  the  evening  was  served  at  the  dinner  of  Montezuma 
the  following  day.  This  would  be  as  fast  as  the  railway 
train  travels  to-day.  The  Spaniards  were  astonished 
at  the  rapidity  with  which  news  of  their  movements  was 
spread.  By  these  runners  the  Aztec  monarchs  kept  in  com- 
munication with  all  parts  of  their  empire.^ 

the  great  temple  in  the  capital  it  is  said  that  seventy  thousand  cap- 
tives were  slaughtered  at  the  shrine  of  this  terrible  deity. 

‘ Prescott  quotes  an  author  who  relates  how  a North- American  In- 
dian travelled  a hundred  miles  in  twenty-four  hours.  According  to 
Plutarch,  the  Greek  who  brought  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Plataea 
covered  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  in  a day.  Prescott  adds: 
“The  Aztec  couriers  travelled  with  such  incredible  swiftness  that 


HERNANDO  CORTES. 

From  an  original  portrait  in  the  Mexican  National  Museum, 


MEXICO,  PAST  AND  PRESENT 


75 


Montezuma  and  his  priests  were  convinced  from  their 
official  reports  that  Cortes  was  none  other  than  the  Fair 
God;  Quetzalcoatl;  the  child  of  the  sun,  whose  return  had 
been  promised  ages  before.  They  recalled  a prediction 
that  Quetzalcoatl  was  to  overturn  the  Aztec  empire. 
Montezuma  sent  the  supposed  god  lavish  gifts  of  gold,  and 
endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from  coming  to  the  capital; 
but  the  gold  only  whetted  the  appetite  of  the  Spaniards 
for  more  and  hastened  their  march  to  the  interior. 

Cortes  was  greatly  aided  in  his  conquest  of  Mexico  by 
Marina,  a beautiful  young  slave  who  had  been  presented 
to  him  by  a Tabascan  chief.  She  was  an  Aztec,  but  having 
learned  various  dialects  when  in  Tabasco,  she  was  enabled 
to  communicate  indirectly  with  Cortes,  who  became  in- 
fatuated with  her  beauty  and  made  her  his  mistress.  She 
eventually  learned  Spanish,  and  acted  as  interpreter  be- 
tween himself  and  Montezuma.  Marina  told  the  Mexicans 
glowing  stories  of  the  greatness  and  splendor  of  the  Span- 
iards, and  it  was  undoubtedly  through  her  influence  that 
the  natives  went  in  such  great  awe  of  these  strange  beings 
who  had  come  to  them  from  over  the  seas. 

Soon  after  his  arrival,  Cortes  invaded  the  country  of  the 
Tlascalans,  one  of  the  powerful  tribes,  who  had  a republican 
form  of  government  and  were  at  war  with  the  Aztecs. 
After  conquering  them,  Cortes  gained  them  as  allies,  and 
a large  force  of  Tlascalans  accompanied  him  on  his  march 
through  the  country.  He  next  marched  into  the  kingdom 
of  Cholula,  which  he  subjugated,  destroying  all  the  temples 
and  public  buildings,  and  slaughtering  thousands  of  the 
inhabitants.  The  natives  were  terror-stricken  by  the  can- 

despatches  were  carried,  by  relays  of  runners,  from  one  to  two  hun- 
dred miles  a day.  Fresh  fish  was  frequently  served  at  Montezuma's 
table  in  twenty-four  hours  from  the  time  it  had  been  taken  in  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  over  two  hundred  miles  from  the  capital.” 


76 


MEXICO 


non  and  firearms  of  the  Spaniards,  and  as  they  had  never 
seen  a horse,  the  animal  and  rider  were  supposed  to  be  one 
being,  and  were  regarded  as  superhuman.  Marching  over 
the  mountains,  Cortes  pressed  on  to  Tenochtitlan,  passed 
over  the  causeways  and  entered  the  city  on  November  8, 
1519. 

Montezuma  came  out  to  meet  the  conqueror  and,  under 
the  influence  of  superstition,  regarding  the  Spaniards  as 
gods,  the  Aztecs  made  no  attempt  to  prevent  their  entry. 
The  Spanish  leader  took  up  his  residence  in  the  old  palace 
of  Montezuma,  where  much  treasure  was  discovered  and 
divided  among  the  invaders. 

Early  the  next  year  (1520),  owing  to  the  cruelty  of  a 
body  of  Cortes^  soldiers,  who  robbed  and  murdered  a num- 
ber of  Aztec  nobles,  the  people  rose  in  revolt.  Montezuma, 
who  had  been  seized  and  held  prisoner  by  the  Spaniards, 
was  killed  while  attempting  to  quell  the  uprising.  On  the 
night  of  July  1 (afterwards  known  as  ^Ta  noche  triste^^  or 
sorrowful  night ’0  the  Spaniards  attempted  to  secretly 
evacuate  the  city,  but  were  detected  and  pursued,  many 
of  them  were  killed  or  taken  prisoners  and  thousands 
of  their  Tlascalan  followers  were  slaughtered.  With  the 
remnant  of  his  force,  Cortes  retreated  to  Tlascala.  In 
the  meantime,  Cuautlahuac,  brother  of  Montezuma,  was 
crowned  king,  but  dying  four  months  later,  was  succeeded 
by  Guatemotzin  or  Cuauhtemoc,  Montezuma^s  nephew,  who 
proved  to  be  a brave  and  able  leader.  Cortes,  refusing 
to  acknowledge  defeat,  recruited  his  forces  at  Tlascala,  and 
won  the  support  of  all  the  tribes  who  had  suffered  from 
Aztec  oppression.  From  mountain  forests  he  brought 
timber  sixty  miles  overland  to  the  shores  of  Lake  Texcoco, 
built  thirteen  brigantines,  crossed  the  lake  and  once  more 
appeared  before  the  walls  of  Tenochtitlan  with  two  hundred 
thousand  allies. 


MEXICO^  PAST  AND  PRESENT 


77 


The  siege  began  on  December  3,  1520,  and  continued 
until  August  13,  1521,  when  the  garrison  was  starved  into 
submission  and  the  Spaniards  entered  the  city.  Before 
it  fell,  all  the  Aztec  treasure  was  destroyed  or  concealed. 
Guatemotzin  was  cruelly  tortured  by  having  his  feet  held 
over  a glowing  fire,  but  he  refused  to  disclose  the  secret. 
The  lake  and  canals  were  dredged  several  times,  but  only 
a small  part  of  the  treasure  was  recovered.  The  unfor- 
tunate young  monarch  was  afterwards  compelled  by  Cortes 
to  go  with  him  on  an  expedition  into  Honduras.  In  the 
depths  of  the  jungle  Cortes  had  him  hanged  to  the  branch 
of  a ceiba  tree.  Thus  perished  the  last  of  the  Aztec  kings. 

Cortes  destroyed  the  temples  in  the  city  and  ordered  the 
erection  of  churches  and  convents,  the  first  church  — now 
the  cathedral  — being  built  upon  the  site  of  the  great  temple 
of  the  Aztecs.  The  Spanish  priests,  with  fanatical  frenzy, 
destroyed  nearly  all  the  Aztec  picture  records  or  codices, 
making  huge  bonfires  of  them.  Of  those  which  escaped 
destruction  a few  are  preserved  in  European  museums, 
notably  at  the  Vatican,  and  some  are  in  the  Mexican  Na- 
tional Museum.  The  Aztec  houses  and  public  buildings 
were  gradually  torn  down  and  replaced  with  Spanish  houses, 
but  the  formation  of  the  city  was  generally  observed.  In 
1634  there  was  an  earthquake,  and  the  waters  of  the  lake 
suddenly  disappeared  and  the  canals  gradually  dried  up. 
After  the  Spanish  occupation  the  native  population  of  the 
city  decreased  until  in  1600  there  were  only  about  ten 
thousand  natives  and  about  the  same  number  of  Spaniards. 
From  that  time  the  increase  in  numbers  of  Spaniards  and 
mixed  population  was  very  rapid,  until  at  the  end  of  the 
next  century  there  was  a population  of  nearly  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand. 

Cort4s  became  the  first  governor  of  Mexico,  acquired 
vast  estates,  was  created  Marquis  of  the  Valley  of  Oaxaca, 


78 


MEXICO 


and  subjugated  the  rest  of  Mexico.  Many  of  his  followers 
found  wives  among  Aztec  women  of  noble  birth.^ 

Warlike  enough  before  the  Spaniards  came,  the  Aztec 
masses  seem  to  have  been  subdued  at  one  blow,  and  were 
soon  reduced  to  the  position  of  mere  serfs.  The  Spanish 
priests,  too,  having  gained  a great  influence  over  the  natives, 
taught  them  to  obey  those  whom  God  had  sent  to  conquer 
their  country.  Chiefs  who  would  not  submit  quietly  were 
won  by  bribery.  Thus  by  means  of  force,  religion  and  every 
corrupt  means  that  could  be  employed,  the  spirit  of  the 

^ The  author  of  “Picturesque  Mexico”  (pub.  1897)  says:  “Many 
Mexican  families  of  high  lineage  can  point  to  a family  history  dating 
back  to  the  days  of  the  war  against  the  Moors.  Some  of  them  are 
wealthy  and  still  possessed  of  great  estates.  Descendants  of  Cortes 
still  exist,  some  bearing  his  name;  one  of  them  is  living  to-day  in 
Tacubaya. 

“ There  are  also  several  descendants  of  Aztec  monarchs,  notably 
Senor  Roberto  Luis  Cuauhtemoc,  who  is  fourteenth  in  descent  from 
the  emperor,  Cuautlahuac,  brother  of  Montezuma  II.  Other  descend- 
ants of  Cuautlahuac  are  Don  Pedro  Patino  Itzalinque,  who  lives  in 
Holland,  and  another,  Don  Pedro  Patino  Itzalinque,  living  in  the 
City  of  San  Luis  Potosi,  Mexico. 

“ There  are  several  well-proved  descendants  of  Aztec  monarchs  now 
living,  who  draw  pensions  from  the  Mexican  government.  Some 
of  them  reside  in  Spain  and  other  European  countries,  and  among 
them  is  the  Duke  of  Abrantes,  the  Marquis  del  Aguilar  Fuerte  and 
the  Conde  de  Miravalles. 

“ The  direct  descendants  of  Montezuma  are  living  in  Salamanca, 
Spain,  the  present  head  of  the  family  being  Senor  Don  Augustin 
Maldonado  y Carbayal  Cano  Montezuma,  Marquis  of  Castellanos  y 
Monroy.  The  Maldonado  family  is  connected  by  marriage  with  the 
English  house  of  Lancaster  and  also  with  the  house  of  Abrantes  and 
Medinaceli,  which  are  of  the  first  nobility  in  Spain. 

“ Among  other  descendants  of  Montezuma  is  Eugenie,  ex-empress  of 
the  French.  It  is  therefore  apparent  that  the  widow  of  Napoleon  III 
was  of  greater  imperial  stock  than  her  husband,  and  brought  to  the 
alliance  more  dignity  than  she  acquired  by  it. 

“ In  Mexico  City  there  is  a gentleman  named  Mercado  who  is  a de- 
scendant of  Montezuma,  who  has  many  relics  of  his  illustrious  ances- 
tors, and  is  extremely  well  versed  in  the  history  of  the  Montezuma 
race.” 


MEXICO,  PAST  AND  PRESENT 


79 


people  was  crushed  and  all  resistance  to  Spanish  rule  was 
overcome.  Then  followed  a great  building  period.  The 
cities  throughout  Mexico  were  rebuilt  according  to  Spanish 
ideas ; and  great  churches  and  cathedrals  were  erected  by 
Indian  workmen  on  the  grandiose  designs  of  Spanish  archi- 
tects. 

Thereafter,  for  three  hundred  years,  Mexico  was  under 
the  dominion  of  Spain.  During  this  time  there  were  five 
governors,  two  councils  of  three  to  five  members  each,  and 
sixty-two  viceroys,  the  first  of  whom  was  appointed  in  1535. 
The  rule  of  some  of  the  viceroys  was  wise  and  able,  and  the 
country  made  great  progress ; but  as  in  all  Spanish  colonies, 
there  was  great  corruption,  oppression  and  misgovernment. 
All  public  offices  were  held  by  Spaniards,  while  the  natives, 
even  those  of  Spanish  descent,  received  no  recognition. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  Na- 
poleon had  overturned  thrones  and  marched  an  army  into 
Spain,  the  spirit  of  revolution  spread  to  Mexico.  The  newly 
acquired  independence  of  the  United  States  of  North  Amer- 
ica also  served  to  arouse  a desire  for  freedom  among  the 
Mexicans.  Several  insurrections  started  at  this  period,  but 
were  speedily  stamped  out.  The  first  important  uprising 
took  place  in  September,  1810,  when  Miguel  Hidalgo,  curate 
of  the  village  of  Dolores  in  the  State  of  Guanajuato,  began 
the  first  great  movement  for  independence  by  ringing  the 
bell  of  his  church,  calling  his  people  together  and  starting 
a war  for  freedom.  Raising  a sacred  banner  bearing  the 
figure  of  the  Virgin  of  Guadalupe,  the  priest  organized  a 
little  army  of  three  hundred  men,  armed  with  clubs,  swords, 
knives  and  bows  and  arrows.  At  the  head  of  these  in- 
surgents, he  marched  to  Guanajuato,  the  people  of  the 
country  everywhere  flocking  to  his  aid.  The  Spanish  gar- 
rison at  Guanajuato  was  defeated  and  the  city  captured. 
After  successful  battles  at  Morelia  and  Valladolid,  Hidalgo 


80 


MEXICO 


marched  towards  Mexico  City,  but  when  almost  within  sight 
of  the  capital  was  defeated,  driven  back,  and  his  army 
dispersed.  Hidalgo  and  his  chief  officers,  Allende,  Aldama, 
and  Jiminez,  were  betrayed,  captured  and  executed. 

After  the  death  of  Hidalgo,  a desultory  struggle  against 
the  Spaniards  continued  for  ten  years,  and  then  a new 
leader,  also  a priest,  Jose  Maria  Morelos,  who  had  been  a 
student  under  Hidalgo,  entered  the  field.  Organizing  a 
small  army,  Morelos  for  two  years  waged  war  against  the 
Spaniards,  but  was  at  last  defeated  by  an  overwhelming 
force,  betrayed  and  captured.  He  was  tried  by  an  ec- 
clesiastical tribunal  and  degraded  from  the  priesthood, 
then  handed  over  to  the  military  authorities,  by  whom  he 
was  condemned  to  death  and  shot  near  the  capital  in  De- 
cember, 1815.  To-day  he  ranks  next  to  Hidalgo  as  one  of 
the  heroes  of  Mexico. 

The  next  prominent  leader  in  the  fight  for  freedom  was 
Augustin  Iturbide,  a Mexican  of  Spanish  descent,  and  a 
former  royalist  officer,  who  had  been  largely  responsible 
for  the  defeat  of  Morelos.  Deserting  from  the  Spanish 
army,  Iturbide  gathered  all  the  insurgent  leaders  around 
him  and  issued  a proclamation,  pledging  the  support  of  his 
party  to  the  establishment  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  others ; the  independence  of  Mexico, 
with  a monarchical  government  under  a Spanish  prince; 
union  and  equality  of  Spaniards  and  Mexicans.  His  army 
thus  became  known  as  the  Army  of  the  Three  Guarantees. 
A number  of  Spanish  regiments  deserted  and  joined  Itur- 
bide, who  in  1821  marched  through  Mexico,  capturing  city 
after  city,  and  at  last  occupied  the  capital.  This  practically 
ended  Spanish  rule  in  Mexico,  and  after  a year  or  two  of 
negotiations,  the  independence  of  the  country  was  at  last 
recognized  by  the  Spanish  government. 

After  the  revolution,  Iturbide  forced  the  Mexican  Con- 


MEXICO y PAST  AND  PRESENT 


81 


gress  to  select  an  emperor,  and  by  threats  and  bribes  man- 
aged to  get  sufficient  votes  to  secure  his  own  election. 
He  and  his  wife  were  crowned  in  the  cathedral  as  emperor 
and  empress  of  Mexico.  His  title  was  Augustin  I.  He 
ruled  unwisely,  dissolved  the  Congress  in  less  than  four 
months,  sent  several  members  to  prison  and  created  so 
much  discord  that  uprisings  were  of  frequent  occurrence. 
A successful  revolution  was  led  by  General  Santa  Ana; 
the  empire  was  overturned,  and  a republic  established,  with 
Santa  Ana  as  president.  Banished  from  Mexico,  Iturbide 
was  given  a pension  of  $25,000  a year  for  his  past  services. 
He  went  to  England  for  a time,  but  unwisely  returned 
to  Mexico  in  1824  to  lead  a new  revolution,  when  he  was 
arrested,  condemned  to  death  and  shot.  Some  of  his 
descendants  are  still  living  in  Mexico  and  enjoy  a good 
deal  of  social  distinction. 

From  1824  until  1846  there  were  constant  revolutions 
as  the  result  of  disputed  elections.  In  the  latter  year 
troubles  arose  with  the  United  States  over  Texas,  which 
had  formerly  belonged  to  Mexico,  but  had  seceded,  and  after 
a few  years  as  an  independent  republic  had  been  annexed 
by  the  Americans.  War  was  forced  on  Mexico  by  the 
United  States,  and  two  American  armies  were  marched  into 
Mexican  territory,  one  coming  down  from  Texas  south- 
ward, the  other  landing  at  Vera  Cruz.  After  a series  of 
battles,  in  which  the  Mexicans  were  defeated  and  sustained 
heavy  losses,  the  Americans  entered  the  capital.  A treaty 
was  then  signed  which  gave  the  United  States  a vast  ter- 
ritory, including  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  and  California, 
the  Mexican  government  receiving  fifteen  million  dollars 
compensation.  General  Grant,  who  was  then  a lieutenant 
in  the  United  States  army,  once  declared  that  the  war 
with  Mexico  was  the  most  unholy  and  unjust  war  ever 
waged  by  a strong  nation  against  a weaker  one. 


82 


MEXICO 


Following  the  American  war  there  were  more  revolutions, 
which  continued  until  1861.  Benito  Juarez,  a full-blood 
Mexican  Indian,  called  the  George  Washington  of  Mexico, 
then  became  President.  A great  struggle  between  church 
and  state  had  been  in  progress  for  several  years,  and  it 
came  to  a climax  at  that  time.  The  church,  which  had 
burdened  the  Mexican  people  with  such  a vast  number  of 
priests,  friars  and  nuns,  and  had  acquired  most  of  the  wealth 
of  the  country,  clung  tenaciously  to  its  privileges  and  prop- 
erty. After  adopting  a new  constitution,  declaring  for 
separation  of  church  and  state,  the  Mexican  Congress  passed 
a law  confiscating  church  property,  closing  the  monasteries 
and  convents  and  restricting  the  power  of  the  church.  This 
resulted  in  civil  war  between  the  clerical  and  liberal  parties. 
Juarez  personally  commanded  the  liberal  forces,  and  in 
1860  entered  the  capital.  The  Liberals,  in  the  meantime, 
were  excommunicated  by  the  church,  and  in  retaliation  the 
Papal  Delegate  and  several  bishops  were  ordered  by  Juarez 
to  leave  Mexico.  The  country  was  then  in  a terrible  con- 
dition. Bandits  committed  depredations  everywhere,  and 
many  foreigners  were  robbed  and  murdered. 

In  1861  the  Mexican  Congress  passed  a law  suspending 
paym.ent  of  interest  on  the  bonds  of  the  Republic  held  by 
foreigners.  This  gave  the  European  powers  an  excuse 
for  intervention.  The  French  government  claimed  $600,000 
damages  suffered  by  French  subjects  during  the  civil  war. 
No  doubt  damage  had  been  suffered;  but  many  of  the 
claims  were  ludicrous,  as,  for  example,  one  item  of  160,000, 
the  value  of  pies  alleged  to  have  been  stolen  from  a French 
cook  by  the  Mexican  soldiers.  In  1862,  a combined  British, 
French  and  Spanish  fleet  arrived  at  Vera  Cruz,  and  an  allied 
force  was  landed  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing  payment  of 
Mexican  obligations.  President  Juarez  met  the  represent- 
atives of  the  powers  at  Orizaba,  and  signed  a treaty  ac- 


TIIK  KMPEROR  ^[AXIMTLTAN. 
Mexico’s  ruler,  shot  ;it  Queretaro  in  LSGT 


MEXICO^  PAST  AND  PRESENT 


83 


knowledging  the  claims  and  promising  payment.  Great 
Britain  and  Spain  then  withdrew  their  forces.  Encouraged 
by  the  clerical  party,  the  French  remained;  and  Napoleon 
III,  who  was  anxious  to  increase  his  prestige  by  establishing 
a monarchy  in  the  Western  Hemisphere,  readily  entered 
into  a scheme  of  conquest. 

Four  thousand  French  troops  eventually  landed  in  Mexico 
and  advanced  to  Puebla,  where  they  were  defeated,  on  the 
5th  of  May,  1862,  by  the  Mexican  troops  under  General 
Zaragoza.  This  date,  so  important  in  Mexican  history,  is 
annually  set  aside  for  national  celebration,  and  nearly 
every  city  has  a street  named  Cinco  de  Mayo  (5th  of  May) . 
On  the  17th  of  May,  however,  Puebla  was  captured  by  the 
French  forces.  On  June  9 they  entered  Mexico  City. 
A so-called  Assembly  of  Notables  was  then  called  together 
and  a declaration  made  that  Mexico  should  be  governed 
by  a constitutional  monarch  and  that  a Catholic  prince 
should  be  selected.  At  the  suggestion  of  the  French  rep- 
resentatives, the  throne  was  offered  to  Maximilian,  Arch- 
duke of  Austria,  who  was  also  a representative  of  the  ruling 
house  of  Spain.  Maximilian  accepted  the  throne  on  con- 
dition that  he  should  be  elected  by  popular  vote,  and  that 
the  Emperor  Napoleon  should  give  him  military  aid  as 
long  as  it  was  necessary.  He  arrived  in  Mexico  City 
June  12, 1864,  with  his  wife  Carlotta,  daughter  of  Leopold 
I,  King  of  the  Belgians. 

After  his  accession,  Maximilian  aroused  the  opposition 
of  the  clerical  party  by  enforcing  the  laws  of  church  reform. 
Juarez,  in  the  meantime, had  crossed  the  border  into  Texas, 
and  from  there  continued  to  direct  the  movement  for 
driving  out  Maximilian  and  the  French.  Maximilian,  at 
this  time,  under  the  influence  of  Marshal  Bazaine  and  other 
evil  counsellors,  made  a fatal  mistake.  He  issued  a decree 
declaring  the  civil  war  at  an  end,  and  that  all  persons  in 


84 


MEXICO 


arms  would  be  treated  as  bandits  and  shot  when  captured. 
The  execution  of  the  Liberal  generals,  Arteago,  Salazar, 
Villagomez  and  Felix  Diaz  followed.  At  this  time  the 
Civil  War  in  the  United  States  was  drawing  to  a close,  and 
the  American  government,  regarding  the  French  aggression 
in  Mexico  as  a serious  breach  of  the  Monroe  doctrine,  in- 
formed Napoleon  III  that  the  United  States  would  not 
tolerate  the  establishment  of  a monarchy  on  the  western 
continent.  On  receipt  of  this  note,  Napoleon  abandoned 
Maximilian  and  recalled  the  French  forces  in  November, 
1866.  The  collapse  of  the  empire  speedily  followed.  As 
soon  as  the  French  left.  President  Juarez  entered  Mexico, 
gathered  his  forces  and  marched  southward.  He  defeated 
Maximilian's  general,  Miramon,  who  retreated  toQueretaro, 
where  he  was  joined  by  the  emperor.  In  the  meantime. 
General  Porfirio  Diaz,  who  commanded  the  republican 
forces  in  the  south,  had  captured  Puebla,  defeated  Maxi- 
milian's troops  in  several  battles  and  had  commenced 
the  siege  of  Mexico  City.  After  a siege  of  several  weeks, 
Juarez  captured  Queretaro.  Maximilian  and  his  generals, 
Miramon  and  Mejia,  were  tried  by  court-martial  on  charges 
of  filibustering,  of  treason  and  of  issuing  the  decree  of 
October  3, 1865,  under  which  the  Liberal  generals  had  been 
executed.  Senor  Riva  Palacio,  the  emperor's  counsel, 
and  other  distinguished  lawyers,  defended  Maximilian,  but 
without  success.  The  emperor  and  the  two  generals  were 
found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  death. 

After  the  trial,  Senor  Riva  Palacio  went  to  the  neighbor- 
ing city  of  San  Luis  Potosi  to  plead  with  President  Juarez 
for  a modification  of  the  sentence,  and  Princess  Salm  Salm 
rode  across  the  country  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  on 
the  same  errand.  Although  personally  inclined  to  show 
mercy,  Juarez  considered  it  necessary  to  strike  a decisive 
blow  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Republic.  A protest  from 


MEXICO,  PAST  AND  PRESENT 


85 


the  United  States  government  was  received,  but  that  was 
of  no  avail.  Maximilian  sent  in  an  appeal  on  behalf  of  his 
companions,  but  this  met  with  no  better  success.  On  the 
morning  of  June  19, 1867,  the  emperor  and  his  two  generals 
were  shot  on  the  hill  outside  Queretaro.  Carlotta,  his  un- 
fortunate consort,  who  was  in  Europe  at  the  time,  had  en- 
deavored in  vain  to  get  the  Emperor  Napoleon  to  send 
another  army  to  rescue  her  husband,  and  had  also  pleaded 
with  the  Pope  without  success.  Grieving  over  Maximilian’s 
death  eventually  shattered  her  mind.  The  story  is  one  of 
the  most  pitiful  in  modern  history. 

A few  days  after  Maximilian’s  execution,  General  Diaz 
captured  Mexico  City,  and  President  Juarez  returned  to 
the  capital  after  an  absence  of  five  years  to  reestablish  his 
government.  He  died  in  1872,  and  after  a brief  revolution 
in  1876  General  Diaz  became  President.  He  served  almost 
continuously  until  1910,  when  a successful  revolution 
caused  his  retirement  and  the  accession  of  Don  Francisco 
Madero.  Disorder  prevailed  throughout  Mexico  during 
President  Madero’s  brief  administration,  which  came  to  an 
end  in  February,  1913,  as  the  sequel  to  a revolution  headed 
by  General  Felix  Diaz,  a nephew  of  the  former  President. 
A few  days  after  his  deposition  from  office  Senor  Madero 
was  assassinated  while  being  conveyed  from  the  National 
Palace  to  the  State  Penitentiary.  In  the  meantime.  General 
Huerta,  a distinguished  officer  of  the  regular  army,  had 
formed  a provisional  government  with  himself  as  President, 
his  retention  of  the  office  being  confirmed  by  Congress 
pending  a presidential  election  to  be  held  in  1914. 


CHAPTER  V 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 

Every  capital  has  its  great  central  point  from  which 
radiates  the  life  of  the  city  — in  London,  for  example,  the 
Bank  of  England,  in  Paris  the  Opera  House,  and  in  Berlin 
the  Unter  den  Linden.  In  Mexico  City  everything  starts 
from  the  Plaza  Mayor  or  main  plaza,  a great  public  space 
larger  than  the  Capitol  square  in  Washington,  which  is  the 
true  heart  of  the  city.  Here  it  was  that  the  city  first  began, 
from  it  start  some  of  the  principal  streets,  and  it  is  the 
oldest  and  in  many  respects  the  most  interesting  part  of 
the  Mexican  capital.  To  some  extent  it  resembles  the  Isle 
de  la  Cite  in  Paris ; for  in  Aztec  times  it  was  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  water,  and  here  stood  the  temples  and  palaces 
which  the  Spaniards  destroyed,  replacing  them  with  the 
cathedral  and  various  public  buildings.  In  the  great  plaza 
the  life  of  the  city  had  its  centre  in  early  Spanish  times, 
the  market  and  the  principal  shops  were  here,  and  it  was  the 
public  promenade  and  place  of  recreation.  To-day,  with 
its  quaint,  time-worn  buildings  and  its  memories  of  the 
past,  it  has  suffered  a modern  invasion  in  the  shape  of  the 
street-cars  which  start  from  it.  I felt  a curious  impression 
of  this  juxtaposition  of  the  modern  and  the  mediaeval  as 
I stood  beneath  the  giant  walls  of  the  sixteenth-century 
cathedral  and  listened  to  the  persistent  clanging  of  the 
street-car  gongs. 

For  there  is  one  feature  which  dominates  the  plaza  and 
vividly  recalls  the  days  when  Spain  was  a mighty  world- 

86 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  CAPITAL 
tcene  in  the  Plaza  fronting  the  great  Cathedral  of  Mexico. 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


8T 


empire  and  Queen  Elizabeth  ruled  the  destinies  of  England. 
That  feature  is  the  great  cathedral  built  on  the  site  of  the 
wonderful  teocalli  or  temple,  dedicated  to  Huitzilopochtli, 
the  Aztec  War-god  and  patron  deity  of  the  ancient  city. 
Here  in  the  temple  centre  stood  the  famous  Stone  of  Sacri- 
fice, upon  which  tens  of  thousands  of  human  victims  were 
slaughtered,  their  breasts  sliced  open  with  obsidian  knives, 
their  hearts  torn  out  and  burned  in  the  holy  of  holies  in 
honor  of  the  terrible  deity.  Close  at  hand  were  the  palaces 
of  the  Emperor  Montezuma. 

It  was  typical  of  the  splendid  arrogance  of  the  Catholic 
conquerors  that  Cortes  should  have  seized  upon  the  theatri- 
cal idea  of  building  his  great  stone  apotheosis  of  his  faith 
on  a site  reeking  with  memories  of  pagan  foulness.  It  was 
in  1573,  in  the  reign  of  Philip  II,  that  the  first  stone  of  the 
great  church  was  laid.  The  soil  was  of  such  a marshy 
nature  that  the  builders  had  great  difficulties  with  which  to 
contend.  These  indeed  were  so  enormous  that  after  nearly 
fifty  years  the  walls  had  only  been  built  twenty  feet  above 
the  ground.  Philip  III,  on  hearing  of  the  slowness  of  the 
work  initiated  by  his  father,  had  new  plans  drawn  up  and 
lavishly  subsidized  the  undertaking. 

The  principal  sacristy  was  finished  in  1623;  the  vaults 
in  the  middle  nave  were  complete  about  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  in  1667  the  interior  was  so  far 
advanced  that  an  inaugural  service  was  possible.  The 
choir,  however,  was  not  complete  till  1730,  and  thus  the 
great  church  had  been  building  nearly  two  centuries.  The 
whole  cost  was  nearly  three  million  dollars;  but  that  rep- 
resents only  a fraction  of  the  money  lavished  on  the 
greatest  Catholic  fane  in  the  New  World,  if  those  who 
toiled  had  been  paid  fair  wages  and  the  material  had  not 
been  commandeered. 

From  north  to  south  the  vast  edifice  is  more  than  four 


/ 


88  MEXICO 

hundred  feet  long,  the  interior  measuring  three  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  feet,  while  the  height  from  floor  to  roof  is 
one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  feet.  The  towers  are  two 
hundred  and  forty  feet  high.  The  material  used  is  a lime- 
stone of  a dark  cream  tint.  Over  the  whole  is  a superb 
dome.  The  architecture  in  the  main  is  Gothic,  with  a 
lavish  use  of  Doric  and  Corinthian  pilasters.  But  it  is  in 
the  interior  of  the  cathedral  that  one  realizes  the  amount 
of  money  which  has  been  lavished  on  the  adornment  of  the 
great  church.  The  ornamentation  of  the  high  altar  is  said 
to  be  worth  the  almost  fabulous  sum  of  a million  and  a half 
of  dollars.  The  lamp  hanging  before  the  sanctuary  is 
said  to  have  cost  880,000,  while  the  tabernacle  of  massive 
silver  is  valued  at  over  $150,000.  The  whole  place  gives 
one  an  impression  of  glittering  gold  and  gems,  a treasure- 
house  of  an  ecclesiastical  Croesus. 

There  are  fourteen  chapels  in  the  cathedral,  each  pro- 
fusely decorated  and  gilded.  Under  the  altar  of  one  of 
them  are  interred  the  heads  of  the  patriots  Hidalgo,  Allende, 
Aldama  and  Jiminez,  who  led  the  first  revolution  against 
Spanish  rule  and  were  executed  at  Guanajuato.  After 
the  Spaniards  had  been  finally  driven  from  Mexico,  the 
heads  were  brought  in  great  state  and  pomp  to  the  cathe- 
dral and  buried  where  they  rest  to-day.  In  another  chapel 
lie  the  remains  of  Augustin  Iturbide,  the  first  emperor  of 
Mexico,  known  as  The  Liberator.  It  is  also  the  tomb  of 
several  Spanish  viceroys,  as  also  of  Gregorio  Lopez,  the 
Mexican  ^‘Man  with  the  Iron  Mask,’’  alleged  to  have  been 
a son  of  Philip  II  of  Spain. 

The  choir  is  surrounded  with  a high  railing  of  richly 
carved  woods,  and  is  connected  with  the  nave  by  a passage- 
way enclosed  with  balustrading  of  rich  tumbago.  In  this 
instance  the  composite  consists  of  a mixture  of  gold,  silver 
and  copper,  and  is  so  valuable  that  the  offer  of  an  American 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


89 


to  replace  the  railing  with  one  of  solid  silver  was  indignantly 
refused. 

It  would  seem  that  Catholic  fervor  in  Mexico  is  on  the 
decline^  for  save  at  the  time  of  the  services  the  devout  of 
the  upper  classes  are  rarely  seen  in  the  cathedral,  the 
whole  building  being  given  over  to  the  poor.  Walking 
through  the  aisles,  one  sees  the  blanketed  Indians  kneeling, 
sombrero  in  hand,  at  the  altars,  or  on  the  worn  stones  of 
the  chapels,  often  the  Indian  women  at  their  sides.  Here 
and  there  a whole  Indian  family  can  be  seen  in  their  tattered, 
flimsy  clothing,  making  a touching  picture  as  they  remain 
in  reverent  contemplation  of  the  figure  of  the  Virgin  or 
saint  whose  protection  they  invoke.  As  in  other  Latin 
countries,  women  form  the  bulk  of  the  worshippers  at  all  the 
services.  Men  of  the  wealthier  class  scarcely  ever  attend. 
In  the  early  morning  the  women  go  to  mass  dressed  in  black, 
with  the  graceful  lace  mantilla  generally  draped  over  the 
head,  half  exposing  the  olive-brown  faces  and  bright  spar- 
kling eyes  of  the  senoritas. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  plaza,  and  facing  the  cathedral, 
is  the  National  Palace.  This  is  built  on  the  site  of  Monte- 
zuma’s second  and  greater  palace,  where  Cortes  built  for 
himself  a mansion.  In  1562  this  latter  building  was  sold 
by  his  descendants  to  the  Spanish  government,  and  for  more 
than  a hundred  years  it  was  the  Viceregal  residence,  until 
in  1692  it  was  destroyed  in  a great  riot.  The  present 
building  was  begun  in  the  same  year  and  finished  in  1699. 
It  is  the  official  residence  of  the  President,  and  contains 
the  state  apartments,  the  offices  of  some  of  the  chief 
ministries,  the  Senate  Chamber,  the  Record  Office  and 
the  Treasury. 

The  palace  is  a long,  flat-roofed,  gray  stone,  two-storied 
building  in  Spanish  style,  and  while  architecturally  not 
remarkable,  has  a quaint,  old-world  picturesqueness  all 


90 


MEXICO 


its  own;  and  it  does  not  take  a great  stretch  of  the 
imagination  to  picture  the  eighteenth-century  Spanish 
Caballeros  riding  in  and  out  of  the  courtyard.  It  has  a 
frontage  of  six  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet,  extends 
backwards  proportionately  and  forms  a large  square. 
Outside  the  main  entrance,  dark-skinned  Mexican  sentries, 
with  their  blue  uniforms  and  glazed  leather  kepis,  march 
up  and  down  with  fixed  bayonets  on  their  rifles,  and  a group 
of  officers  and  soldiers  off  duty  can  generally  be  seen.  All 
this  is  in  striking  contrast  for  the  visitor  who  comes  direct 
from  the  United  States,  where  soldiers  are  never  stationed 
at  public  buildings,  and  even  the  White  House  at  Washing- 
ton is  guarded  by  only  a few  policemen. 

The  presidential  apartments  are  magnificently  furnished 
and  decorated.  Quite  regal  in  its  measurements  is  the 
Hall  of  Ambassadors,  stretching  the  entire  length  of  the 
palace,  and  lit  by  large  windows  looking  out  upon  the 
cathedral.  Here  the  President  formally  welcomes  state 
visitors  and  receives  the  accredited  representatives  of 
foreign  governments  on  their  arrival  to  take  their  official 
posts.  At  these  ceremonies  the  foreign  ministers  are  pre- 
sented to  the  President  by  an  official  entitled  the  Introducer 
of  Ambassadors.  At  the  south  end  of  the  chamber  is  a 
dais  set  with  chairs  in  a half  circle,  where  the  President 
sits  surrounded  by  his  cabinet  ministers.  The  walls  are 
hung  with  portraits,  including  those  of  George  Washington, 
Benito  Juarez,  Iturbide,  the  generals  Guerrero  and  Morelos, 
and  President  Diaz. 

Over  the  main  entrance  to  the  Palace  is  hung  the  Liberty 
Bell  of  Mexico,  which  was  rung  by  Father  Hidalgo  in  1810 
in  the  village  of  Dolores,  to  call  the  people  to  arms  in  the 
first  struggle  for  independence.  This  relic  was  brought  to 
the  capital  in  1896,  and  on  the  night  of  the  fifteenth  of 
September  each  year  is  rung  with  great  ceremony  by  the 


THE  MEXICAN  NATIONAL  PALACE. 


Copyright  by  The  Detroit  Thoto  Co. 

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(See  page  107.) 


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THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


91 


President  of  Mexico^  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  gather- 
ing. Just  above  the  Liberty  Bell  is  a clock  which  was  exiled 
from  the  church  of  a small  Spanish  town  because  it  was 
supposed  to  be  bewitched,  having  struck  the  hours  out  of 
order.  Although  the  National  Palace  is  the  President's 
official  residence,  he  does  not  live  there,  but  in  a compara- 
tively small  house  in  the  Cadena,  a thoroughfare  running 
off  the  Plaza,  whence  he  comes,  often  on  horseback,  and 
always  without  any  escort,  to  his  daily  work. 

The  National  Museum  has  a wing  of  the  Palace  devoted 
to  it.  Here  there  is  a splendid  collection  of  Mexican  antiq- 
uities, idols  from  temples,  ornaments  from  palaces,  jewels, 
arms,  shields  and  utensils  of  the  Toltecs  and  Aztecs,  with 
some  few  of  the  Aztec  picture-writings,  which  were  saved 
from  the  bigotry  of  the  monks.  There  are  also  portraits 
of  the  great  characters  in  Mexico's  history  since  the  Con- 
quest. Among  the  most  interesting  exhibits  are  the  arms 
and  armor  of  the  early  Spanish  invaders,  some  of  their 
standards,  a fine  portrait  of  Cortes,  oil  paintings  portraying 
the  baptism  of  Mexican  Indians  by  the  first  missionaries, 
and  a collection  of  the  weapons,  head-dresses  and  costumes 
of  the  Aztec  warriors.  Near  the  entrance  is  the  great 
Stone  of  Sacrifice  which  formed  the  entire  altar  of  the  Tem- 
ple of  the  Sun,  which  stood  but  a few  feet  from  the  site  of 
the  museum.  It  is  circular,  very  elaborately  carved,  the 
figures  on  the  rim  showing  the  Aztec  priests  dragging  their 
victims  by  the  hair  to  the  scene  of  sacrifice  to  be  offered  to 
the  Sun-god.  At  the  Conquest  the  stone  was  buried  by 
Spanish  priests  and  was  not  rediscovered  until  1791,  when 
some  drainage  excavations  were  being  made  near  the 
cathedral.  Near  by  is  a grim  and  hideous  relic  of  the  terrible 
Huitzilopochtli,  the  Aztec  War-god,  an  elaborately  carved 
block  of  stone  representing  the  ferocious  face  of  the  deity, 
with  snakes'  teeth  and  a fringe  of  snakes'  heads  depending 


92 


MEXICO 


as  a breast  ornament.  At  the  base  of  the  figure,  the  feet 
are  in  the  form  of  a slab,  upon  which  it  is  believed  the  still 
palpitating  hearts  of  the  slaughtered  victims  were  placed 
as  an  offering. 

In  the  same  gallery  is  the  Aztec  Calendar  Stone,  a stone 
circle  of  twelve  feet  in  diameter  and  weighing  53,790  pounds. 
This  huge  monolith,  which  was  originally  embedded  in  the 
walls  of  the  great  Temple,  is  elaborately  carved  with  what 
appears  to  be  calendar  divisions.  Many  efforts  have  been 
made  to  decipher  the  carvings.  Perhaps  one  of  the  most 
interesting  is  that  of  Mr.  W.  W.  Blake  of  Mexico  City,  who 
sees  in  the  second  large  circle  four  parallelograms  indicat- 
ing, in  Aztec  mythology,  that  the  sun  had  died  four  times. 
These  epochs  or  ages  were,  Mr.  Blake  thinks,  the  Age  of 
Air,  the  Age  of  Water,  the  Age  of  Fire  and  the  Age  of 
Earth,  and  he  thus  interprets  them:  the  Age  of  Air  was 
the  glacial  epoch,  representing  the  Aztec  traditions  of  the 
ice  lands  to  the  north,  from  which  their  forefathers  came; 
the  Age  of  Water  was  the  time  of  the  submersion  of  the 
continent  of  Atlantis;  the  Age  of  Fire  was  the  period 
marked  by  the  eruptions  of  the  volcanoes  and  accompany- 
ing earthquakes.  Finally  is  the  Age  of  the  Earth,  which 
began  4431  years  before  Christ  and  ended  1312  a.d.  This 
Calendar  Stone,  like  the  Stone  of  Sacrifice,  was  buried  in 
the  Plaza,  and  was  only  unearthed  in  1790.  According 
to  tradition,  both  of  them  were  quarried  near  Coyoacan  in 
1478,  over  five  thousand  men  being  engaged  in  the  work; 
they  were  then  dragged  over  causeways  on  wooden  rollers, 
crossing  the  canals  on  specially  constructed  bridges,  and 
were  thus  transported  to  the  great  temple.  It  is  said 
that  this  event  was  celebrated  by  the  sacrifice  of  over  seven 
hundred  human  beings. 

In  the  museum  are  many  large  and  terrible  Aztec  idols 
from  all  parts  of  Mexico,  some  of  them  having  a very  marked 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


93 


likeness  to  Egyptian  figures.  This  is  especially  true  of  the 
so-called  figure  of  Chac-Mol,  which  was  found  by  Dr.  Le 
Plongeon  at  Chichen-Itza  in  Yucatan,  and  is  supposed  to 
represent  the  God  of  Fire.  This  figure  is  notable  as  having 
an  almost  perfect  Egyptian  head-dress.  A statue  of  the 
Goddess  of  Water,  excavated  at  Teotihuacan,  near  the 
Pyramids  of  the  Sun  and  Moon,  is  more  than  eleven  feet 
high  and  five  feet  wide,  and  weighs  forty  thousand  pounds. 
The  feathered  serpent,  a mythic  figure  of  great  prominence 
in  Aztec  carvings,  is  found  all  over  Mexico.  It  is  called 
Quetzalcoatl,  and  represents  the  Mexican  myth  of  a white 
man  with  a long  flowing  beard,  who  taught  the  people 
religion  and  civilization,  a religion  which  the  early  Spanish 
are  said  to  have  found  very  much  like  Christianity.  Ac- 
cording to  a Catholic  legend,  this  mysterious  teacher  was 
one  of  the  apostles,  possibly  St.  Thomas.  The  Mexican 
government  now  claims  all  Aztec  relics  and  superintends 
all  excavations,  jealously  guarding  the  sites  of  the  ancient 
cities. 

One  of  the  galleries  is  devoted  to  pictures,  chiefly  the 
portraits  of  the  Spanish  viceroys  of  Mexico  from  the  time 
of  the  Conquest  to  the  declaration  of  independence.  They 
are  poor  specimens  of  art  for  the  most  part;  but  they 
portray  a picturesque  lot  of  rulers  and  give  one  a very  fair 
idea  of  those  in  whose  hands  the  fate  of  so  many  human 
beings  once  rested.  In  another  gallery  are  housed  the 
state  carriages  of  the  ill-fated  Emperor  Maximilian  and 
the  Empress  Carlotta,  gorgeously  decorated  with  gold  and 
silver  and  emblazoned  with  the  imperial  arms.  The 
silver-mounted  harness  is  also  there,  and,  in  a burst  of 
very  unrepublican  emperor-worship,  is  hung  on  the  wall 
above  a picture  of  a gorgeous  footman,  inscribed  State 
footman  of  the  Emperor  Maximilian.”  It  is  all  very 
pathetic,  and  the  pathos  is  deepened  by  the  object-lesson 


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MEXICO 


in  democratic  simplicity  which  is  given  in  the  other  corner 
of  the  room.  There,  in  its  cracked,  old-fashioned,  plain 
black  leather,  stands  the  carriage  used  by  President  Juarez, 
who  overturned  the  empire  and  authorized  the  execution 
of  Maximilian. 

Strange  to  say,  most  of  the  visitors  to  the  museum  are 
Indians  of  the  working  class,  who  can  be  seen  walking 
through  the  galleries,  gazing  with  solemn  looks  at  the  relics 
of  the  Aztecs,  and  discussing,  in  their  own  language,  the 
achievements  of  their  ancestors.  The  policemen  on  duty 
there,  who  are  also  of  Indian  descent,  are  very  vigilant  in  en- 
forcing the  official  regulations,  as  I found  to  my  astonish- 
ment one  morning.  I had  gone  to  the  museum  at  rather 
an  early  hour,  when  the  place  was  almost  deserted,  and 
was  strolling  through  one  of  the  long  galleries,  when  I 
heard  a stern  voice  far  in  the  rear,  commanding  me  to  halt. 
I turned  and  saw  a policeman  who  was  beckoning  to  me 
and  saying,  ^'Senor,  senor,  regrese  ’’  (Come  back,  sir).  Re- 
turning to  the  entrance  door  where  he  was  stationed,  I 
asked  him  what  he  wanted,  whereupon  he  simply  pointed 
to  a placard  inscribed,  la  dereche’’  (Keep  to  the  right) ; 
and  it  then  dawned  on  me  that  I had  actually  been  keeping 
to  the  left.  The  rule,  of  course,  was  intended  for  enforce- 
ment only  when  the  museum  was  crowded ; but  the  worthy 
policeman  had  evidently  been  told  to  keep  people  to  the 
right,  and  he  was  determined  to  do  it  whether  there  was 
one  visitor  or  ten  thousand.  Apologizing  to  him  for  my 
disgraceful  violation  of  the  rules,  I resumed  my  walk,  taking 
great  care  to  keep  to  the  right. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  Plaza  is  the  National  Pawn-shop 
or  Monte  de  Piedad,  which  was  founded  as  a charity,  but 
which  is  now  managed  in  much  the  same  way  as  the  French 
Montes  de  Piet4.  Similar  establishments  exist  in  most 
of  the  larger  Mexican  cities,  enabling  the  poor  to  obtain 


THE  AZTEC  CALENDAR  STONE, 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


95 


loans  on  pledges  at  a very  reasonable  rate  of  interest^  and 
thus  rescuing  them  from  the  merciless  usurers.  The  Monte 
opens  every  afternoon  for  the  sale  of  unredeemed  pledges. 
Tourists  are  said  to  pick  up  great  bargains  in  jewellery,  his- 
torical relics  and  curios  of  all  sorts.  While  I was  in  the 
city,  an  American  bought  from  a curio  dealer  what  was 
alleged  to  be  the  ivory  and  gold-mounted  cigar  case  of  the 
Emperor  Maximilian,  and  ten  ivory  napkin-rings  bearing 
the  imperial  arms.  These  were  sold  for  ten  dollars.  If 
they  were  genuine,  it  is  possible  that  they  had  come  into  the 
bric-a-brac  dealer’s  hands  at  one  of  the  daily  sales  at  the 
Monte  de  Piedad.  No  Mexican  would  have  bought  them, 
as  they  are  all  very  superstitious,  and  believe  that  any- 
thing that  belonged  to  Maximilian  brings  bad  luck. 

Not  far  from  the  National  Palace  is  the  so-called  Volador 
or  Thieves’  Market,  where  dishonestly  acquired  goods  of 
every  description  are  offered  for  sale  by  a picturesque 
crowd  of  ragged  vendors.  Most  of  the  things  offered  are 
believed  to  have  been  stolen,  and  prices  rule  low,  great 
bargains  being  sometimes  obtainable.  Valuable  books, 
old  gold  and  silverware,  relics  of  all  kinds,  even  old  paint- 
ings, are  displayed  for  sale.  Some  years  ago  a Murillo  is 
said  to  have  been  bought  here  for  five  dollars.  A prettier 
sight  is  the  Flower  Market,  which  is  also  close  to  the  cathe- 
dral, and  in  the  morning  presents  a beautiful  scene,  with 
its  wealth  of  carnations,  violets  and  roses.  The  flowers 
are  delightfully  cheap,  and  mammoth  bunches  of  double 
violets  — all  you  can  carry  — can  be  had  for  fifty  cents, 
and  heaps  of  roses,  even  in  midwinter. 

A picturesque  row  of  buildings  on  one  side  of  the  Plaza 
have  their  lower  stories  in  the  form  of  arcades  or  portales, 
which,  as  already  noted,  form  a distinctive  feature  of  the 
plazas  in  all  Mexican  towns.  Supported  by  columns,  they 
extend  over  the  sidewalk  and  furnish  a grateful  shade  on 


96 


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a hot  day.  Under  the  portales  there  are  some  of  the  most 
attractive  stores  in  the  city,  and  they  are  also  a refuge  for 
various  itinerant  vendors  who  sell  dulces,  fruit,  trinkets 
and  other  small  wares.  The  portales  and  the  two-storied 
buildings  connected  with  them  have  a very  old  look,  and 
date  perhaps  from  the  sixteen  hundreds. 

I imagine  that  the  Plaza  has  altered  very  little  during 
the  past  two  hundred  years,  and  to  me  it  seemed  to  be 
the  most  romantic  spot  in  the  capital.  Spanish  officers  in 
doublet  and  hose  and  feathered  bonnet  must  once  have 
strolled  about  there  discussing  the  latest  news,  perhaps 
cursing  that  English  terror  of  the  seas,  Francis  Drake, 
whose  capture  of  treasure-laden  galleons  so  often  caused 
consternation  in  Mexico.  The  very  stones  that  one  treads 
on  to-day  have  probably  echoed  to  the  feet  of  the  victims 
of  the  Inquisition,  as  they  marched  in  sad  procession  from 
their  place  of  trial  (the  old  Inquisition  building  erected  in 
1571,  close  to  the  Plaza,  and  now  used  as  a medical  in- 
stitution) to  the  bonfires  of  the  auto-da-fe  in  the  Alameda. 
Threading  their  pompous  way  beneath  the  shadow  of  the 
great  cathedral,  the  Spanish  viceroys,  with  silken  canopies 
of  state  held  above  them  by  Indian  slaves,  have  ridden 
on  marvellously  caparisoned  steeds,  surrounded  by  regal 
grandeur,  into  the  old  palace  courtyard. 

A large  building  in  the  Plaza  is  the  Mexican  equivalent 
of  an  American  city  hall,  as  it  is  the  official  residence  of  the 
city’s  administrators,  and  it  also  contains  the  offices  of  the 
principal  city  departments.  The  government  of  Mexico 
City,  it  may  be  added,  differs  entirely  from  that  of  other 
Mexican  cities,  the  capital  and  various  small  towns  sur- 
rounding it  being  situated  in  what  is  called  the  Federal 
District,  corresponding  to  our  own  District  of  Columbia. 
It  is  regarded  as  neutral  ground,  as  the  National  Congress 
is  held  in  the  capital ; and  on  this  account  the  government 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


97 


of  the  district  is  in  the  hands  of  the  federal  authorities. 
The  government  is  represented  by  three  officials  appointed 
by  the  President  — the  Governor  (who  is  practically  the 
mayor),  the  President  of  the  Superior  Board  of  Health,  and 
the  Director  of  Public  Works.  Their  power  is  supreme,  and 
all  departments  are  under  their  control.  The  system  has 
worked  wonderfully  well,  and  it  is  perhaps  due  to  the  direc- 
tion of  affairs  being  left  entirely  to  these  three  officials 
that  public  improvements  are  carried  out  so  quickly  in 
Mexico  City.  Even  the  most  casual  observer  cannot  fail 
to  be  impressed  by  the  fact  that  the  capital  is  remarkably 
well  governed. 

In  the  centre  of  the  Plaza  is  a small  park  called  the 
Zocalo,  planted  with  trees  and  flowers,  where  a regimental 
band  plays  several  times  a week.  From  the  Zocalo  the 
electric  cars  run  to  all  parts  of  the  city  and  to  the  principal 
suburbs.  It  is  strange  to  see  these  prosaic  American  cars 
labelled  with  such  queer  Aztec  names  as  Coyoacan,  Tlapan, 
Tlalnepantla,  Atzacapotzalco,  all  suburban  places. 

Mexican  street-cars,  by  the  way,  are  divided  into  first 
and  second  class,  but  they  run  singly,  the  first  class  being 
painted  buff,  the  second  class  green.  The  latter  are  always 
crowded  with  evil-smelling  peons. 

First-class  fares  are  from  three  to  ten  cents,  according 
to  the  distance  travelled.  The  second  class  are  a few  cen- 
tavos cheaper.  Private  cars,  well  fitted  up,  can  be  hired 
for  parties,  and  freight-cars  and  cattle  trucks  are  also 
run.  One  afternoon  the  President  and  his  cabinet  went 
out  to  some  suburban  festival  in  a sumptuous  special  car. 

Except  in  the  cases  of  the  wealthy,  the  street-cars  are 
always  used  for  funerals,  a special  car  painted  black  being 
employed.  Every  day,  and  almost  every  hour  of  the  day, 
you  can  see  the  funeral  cars  running  out  to  the  suburban 
cemeteries.  The  hearse-car,  elaborately  draped  with  black 


H 


98 


MEXICO 


cloth,  and  surmounted  by  plumes  and  a cross,  with  a raised 
dais  for  the  coffin,  goes  first ; and  then  come  two  ordinary 
cars  of  solemn  black  for  the  mourners.  This  funeral  train 
is  only  for  the  well-to-do.  For  the  poor  there  is  a car 
completely  closed,  with  doors  at  the  back,  and  fitted  with 
shelves  upon  which  the  coffins  are  stacked.  Attached  to 
this  is  a second-class  car,  painted  black,  and  inscribed 
'^Funebre,^’  in  which  relatives  and  friends  ride  to  the 
cemetery. 

Mexico  City  abounds  in  spots  which,  like  the  Plaza,  have 
romantic  or  historical  associations.  For  instance,  a street 
corner  called  Salte  de  Alvarado  marks  the  place  where 
Alvarado,  the  lieutenant  of  Cortes,  leaped  across  the  canal, 
using  his  lance  as  a leaping-pole,  when  escaping  from  the 
Aztecs  on  the  night  of  the  flight  from  the  city.  Close  to 
the  Zocalo  is  the  site  of  the  house  in  which  was  established 
the  first  printing-press  of  the  New  World,  in  1535,  more 
than  a century  before  one  was  employed  in  the  English 
colonies.  Prior  to  1550,  a dozen  books  or  so,  chiefly  re- 
ligious, had  been  printed.  The  first,  bearing  date  1536, 
was  called  ^^Escala  espiritual  para  llegar  al  Cielo,  Traducido 
del  Latin  en  Castellano  por  el  Venerable  Padre  Fr.  Ivan 
de  la  Madelina,  Religioso  Dominico,  1536  (The  Spiritual 
Ladder  for  Reaching  Heaven,  Translated  from  Latin 
into  Spanish  by  Father  Ivan,  Dominican).  It  was  here 
that  the  first  music  in  the  New  World  was  printed  in  the  old 
illuminated  style,  as  also  was  the  first  wood-engraving  cut. 
During  the  seventeenth  century,  Mexico  City  was  regarded 
as  a great  seat  of  learning;  but  even  before  the  spacious 
times  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  literature  had  its  beginnings  in 
the  Mexican  capital. 

In  Felipe  de  Jesus  Street  there  is  still  standing  the  house 
in  which  the  first  Mexican  saint,  San  Felipe,  was  born  in 
1572.  His  father  was  a Spanish  merchant,  who  carried  on 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


99 


extensive  trade  between  Mexico  and  the  Philippine  Islands 
in  slow-sailing  galleons.  After  a wild  youth,  Felipe  was 
converted,  became  a Franciscan  monk,  and  for  many 
years  was  a missionary,  until  at  last  he  found  a martyr’s 
death  in  Japan.  A generation  later  he  was  canonized,  and 
became  the  patron  saint  of  Mexico  City.  In  the  patio 
of  the  house  there  is  an  old  fig  tree  to  which  a beautiful 
tradition  attaches.  Felipe,  despite  his  wild  youth,  used 
to  tell  his  mother  that  he  would  die  a saint.  She  said  that 
would  come  to  pass  when  the  fig  tree  in  the  garden  bore 
figs.  The  fig  tree  was  then  dry  and  barren.  Years  after- 
wards, when  Felipe  won  a martyr’s  crown,  the  fig  tree  be- 
came, in  a moment,  green  and  healthy,  and  was  loaded  with 
luscious  fruit,  though  it  was  not  the  bearing  season. 

At  different  points  in  the  city  are  the  ruins  of  the  aque- 
duct of  brick  and  stone  which  was  completed  in  1779.  It 
brought  water  to  the  city  from  a spring  at  Chapultepec, 
and  ended  at  a beautiful  fountain  called  el  Salto  de  Agua, 
still  preserved.  The  water  supply  of  the  capital  is  now 
so  up-to-date  that  it  has  almost  done  away  with  the  neces- 
sity for  one  of  the  most  picturesque  street  types,  namely,  the 
aguadores  or  water-carriers,  bending  under  the  weight  of 
huge  earthen  pots  in  which  they  carried  the  precious  liquid 
from  door  to  door. 

If  Mexico  City  had  no  other  claim  to  be  ranked  among 
the  finest  cities  of  the  world,  she  could  complacently  base 
her  pretensions  upon  the  Paseo  de  la  Reforma,  the  great 
drive  which  leads  from  the  end  of  the  Avenida  Juarez  for 
two  and  a half  miles  to  the  park  and  castle  of  Chapultepec. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  no  finer  thoroughfare  than 
this  in  the  world.  Fringed  by  a double  avenue  of  trees, 
chiefly  eucalyptus,  surrounded  by  trim  lawns  and  flower 
beds  and  lined  with  really  fine  houses,  standing  in  beauti- 
ful grounds,  the  homes  of  Mexico’s  wealthiest  families, 


100 


MEXICO 


the  whole  arrangement,  with  a double  roadway,  recalls  the 
beauties  of  the  Champs  Elysees.  At  intervals  the  Paseo 
widens  into  circles,  which  are  called  glorietas,  and  in  several 
of  these  there  are  some  really  fine  statues.  The  bronze 
equestrian  statue  of  Charles  IV,  which  centres  the  glori- 
eta  at  the  city  end  of  the  Paseo,  was  set  up  in  1803,  and 
is  a very  striking  work  of  art.  Its  sculptor  was  Manuel 
Telsa,  a Spaniard.  In  another  glorieta  is  the  Columbus 
statue  by  Cordier,  a fine  piece  of  carving.  On  the  base  are 
represented  historical  scenes,  beautifully  sculptured,  and 
the  whole  is  surmounted  by  a figure  of  Columbus  drawing 
aside  the  veil  which  hides  the  New  World. 

But  the  most  remarkable  monument  is  that  by  Fran- 
cisco Jiminez,  which  honors  the  memory  of  Cuauhtemoc 
or  Guatemotzin,  the  nephew  of  Montezuma,  the  last  Aztec 
king.  The  Indians  still  revere  his  memory,  and  annually 
honor  it  by  a festival,  on  which  occasion  the  monument  is 
decorated  with  wreaths  and  flowers.  Scenes  from  the  life 
of  the  prince,  and  his  torture  by  Cortes,  are  worked  in  bronze 
on  the  four  sides  of  the  base ; on  the  plinth  stands  an  ideal 
statue  of  the  heroic  warrior  in  war  costume,  a spear  poised 
in  his  hand.  It  is  worth  noticing  that  while  this  worthy 
memorial  has  a place  of  honor  in  the  city  which  has  suc- 
ceeded the  Aztec  Tenochtitlan,  there  is  not  among  the  public 
monuments  even  a bust  of  the  cruel  and  bigoted  Spaniard, 
torturer  and  murderer  of  the  brave  Aztec  prince. 

It  was  during  the  empire  of  Maximilian  that  the  Paseo 
was  laid  out,  and  it  at  once  became  the  fashionable  drive 
of  the  capital.  Here,  in  the  afternoons,  but  more  particu- 
larly on  Sundays  and  feast-days,  there  is  a wonderful  dis- 
play of  carriages  and  horses.  The  procession  passes  up  one 
side  and  down  the  other,  while  police  duties  in  directing 
traffic  are  performed  by  the  picturesque  Republican  Guard, 
mounted  on  the  wiry  Mexican  ponies,  and  armed  to  the 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


101 


teeth  with  sword,  Winchester  rifle  and  revolver.  But  there 
is  no  need  for  this  heavy  armament,  for  the  whole  scene 
is  one  of  gayety  and  good  temper.  The  people  have  come 
out  to  enjoy  themselves,  and  very  happily  and  brightly  they 
do  so. 

At  the  end  of  the  Paseo,  occupying  much  the  same 
position  as  the  Arc  de  Triomphe  does  in  the  Champs  Elysees, 
is  the  Castle  of  Chapultepec.  It  stands  on  a high  bluff  of 
volcanic  origin,  on  the  scarred  face  of  which  are  carved 
some  ancient  hieroglyphics.  In  Aztec,  Chapultepec  means 
'^The  Hill  of  the  Grasshopper,”  and  it  was  on  the  hill  that 
Montezuma  had  his  summer  palace.  The  castle,  which 
architecturally  hardly  comes  up  to  its  name,  having  a 
striking  resemblance  to  some  huge  sanitarium,  is  a vast, 
rambling  building  which  was  designed  as  a viceregal  resi- 
dence and  completed  in  1785.  It  has,  however,  been  much 
enlarged  and  altered  since  that  date.  Maximilian  was 
responsible  for  the  decoration  of  the  castle,  and  for  the 
planning  out  of  the  beautiful  gardens  in  which  it  stands. 
With  the  exception  of  two  chairs,  which  are  traditionally 
believed  to  have  been  used  by  Cortes,  all  the  old  furniture 
has  disappeared,  and  there  is  no  trace  of  the  short-lived 
empire,  ever3rthing  bearing  the  monogram,  “R.  M.”  (Re- 
publica  Mexicana).  The  President  resides  at  the  castle 
for  only  a month  or  two  in  the  summer,  and  occupies  one 
of  the  wings,  which  has  been  specially  furnished  for  him 
and  his  family.  Sometimes  official  visitors  of  great  dis- 
tinction are  entertained  there  and  allotted  apartments 
during  their  stay  in  the  city. 

From  the  castle  terrace,  which  looks  down  upon  the 
sweep  of  the  Paseo,  and  over  the  tree-tops  towards  the 
capital,  there  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  views  in 
the  world.  The  eye  takes  in  the  marvellous  panorama  of 
the  vast  plain  studded  with  towns  and  hamlets,  centred 


102 


MEXICO 


with  the  glittering  white  of  church  tower  and  housetop 
in  the  city  itself;  and  ringed  round  with  the  distant  hills 
shrouded  in  a purple  mist.  Beyond  these  are  the  great 
snow-capped  volcanic  peaks  of  Popocatepetl  and  Ixtacci- 
huatl;  which  tower  above  the  lesser  mountains  and  domi- 
nate the  horizon. 

In  a wing  of  the  castle  is  the  Mexican  military  college; 
conducted  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  West  Point. 
Here  the  sons  of  the  best  Mexican  families  receive  a military 
education.  They  are  a fine-looking  set  of  young  meU; 
wearing  a uniform  a good  deal  like  that  of  the  French 
military  schools.  When  the  Americans  took  the  castle 
in  the  war  of  1847;  the  cadets  assisted  in  the  defence,  and 
a large  number  of  them  fell.  A modest  monument  to  the 
memory  of  these  young  heroes  stands  at  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
and  on  this  fresh  flowers  are  placed  every  morning. 

The  castle  is  surrounded  by  a beautiful  park  called  the 
Bosque,  very  much  like  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  with  miles 
of  shady  walks  and  drives,  under  semi-tropical  groves  of 
tree-ferns  and  palms,  and  above  them  is  the  foliage  of  some 
fine  oaks  and  wonderful  cypresses.  Of  the  latter  there  is 
an  ancient  avenue,  centuries  old,  from  the  boughs  of  which 
Spanish  moss  hangs  in  graceful  fringes.  Beneath  the  shade 
of  these  giant  trees  Montezuma  is  said  to  have  held  his 
court,  and  here,  too,  the  news  was  brought  to  him  of  the 
Spanish  invasion.  Near  the  hill  is  a large  stone  basin  into 
which  a spring  drains.  This,  tradition  — probably  very 
inaccurate  — declares  to  have  been  Montezuma's  bath.  In 
later  days  it  has  been  used  as  a water  supply  for  the  city. 

Not  far  from  Chapultepec,  on  one  side  of  the  Paseo,  an 
enterprising  American  company  has  started  what  is  called 
Luna  Park,  an  imitation  of  the  famous  New  York  seaside 
resort.  Coney  Island.  Here  there  is  a huge  Ferris  wheel, 
a switchback  railway,  shows  of  every  description  and  a 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


103 


circus.  The  President,  in  his  apartments  in  the  castle, 
can  probably  hear  the  revels  of  Luna  Park. 

Also  near  the  castle  is  the  Chapultepec  Cafe,  a fashionable 
rendezvous,  where  one  can  get  an  excellent  meal,  served  in 
French  style,  or  if  not  hungry,  can  sit  outside  at  a little 
marble-topped  table,  and  watch  the  carriages  while  sipping 
the  ever  popular  Mexican  lager  beer.  It  is  here  that  all 
the  cosmopolitan  inhabitants  of  the  capital  gather  on  a fine 
Sunday  afternoon,  and  almost  every  European  language 
can  then  be  heard.  Almost  as  many  carriages  assemble 
in  the  Paseo  on  Sundays  as  one  can  see  in  the  Bois,  and 
a visitor  can  gain  a very  fair  idea  of  the  wealth  and  beauty 
of  the  capital. 

For  the  most  part,  the  carriages  are  open  barouches, 
landaus  and  Victorias  of  the  latest  European  makes,  and 
drawn  by  the  Spanish-Arab  type  of  horse,  which,  with  their 
curving  necks,  their  glossy  silken  coats  and  sweeping  tails, 
make  a wonderful  picture  in  the  sunshine.  The  coachmen 
and  footmen  are  dressed  in  liveries  correct  even  to  the  cock- 
ades, though  many  of  the  old-fashioned  Mexican  families 
still  favor  the  native  serving  dress,  tight  trousers  edged 
with  gold  buttons,  short  bolero  coat,  heavily  braided,  and 
an  enormous  felt  sombrero.  Most  of  the  carriages  are 
tenanted  by  dark-eyed  Mexican  beauties.  The  men  either 
drive  dog-carts  in  English  style,  or  ride  on  a row  which 
runs  parallel  with  the  carriage  road  round  the  park.  There 
are  many  smart  automobiles  to  be  seen,  too,  and  there  is 
also  a large  mixture  of  humbler  conveyances,  with  dozens 
of  blue-flagged  cabs  filled  with  men,  women  and  children. 

It  is  said  that  some  Mexicans  of  good  birth  but  of  much 
straitened  means,  who  find  it  hard  to  keep  up  appear- 
ances, send  out  their  carriages  with  blue  flags  half  the  week, 
and  thus  earn  their  keep  as  cabs.  Many  poorer  citizens, 
such  as  clerks,  deny  themselves  every  luxury  to  take  this 


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drive  with  their  families  on  Sunday,  and  squander  all  their 
spare  money  on  it. 

The  paths  of  the  Paseo  are  filled  with  all  sorts  of  people, 
well-dressed  Mexicans,  Europeans  and  Americans,  residents 
and  tourists,  also  people  of  the  poorer  classes,  including 
numbers  of  Indians,  men  and  women,  in  their  blankets  and 
rebosas.  Groups  of  Mexican  mashers’^  stand  on  the  edge 
of  the  walks,  criticising  the  fair  occupants  of  the  carriages 
and  seeking  to  attract  their  bewitching  eyes.  The  Mexican 
masher,  it  may  be  added,  is  called  a lagartijo  (pronounced 
lah-ahr-tee-ho) , meaning  ^Gittle  lizard,’^  because  he  basks 
lazily  in  the  sun  at  the  street  corner  to  ogle  the  fair  sex. 

He  usually  wears  a French  morning  coat  and  trousers, 
American  patent  leather  shoes,  with  pointed  toes,  and  an 
English  top  hat,  and  in  his  fingers  is  the  inevitable  cigarette. 

During  the  afternoon  excellent  music  is  played  by  the 
band  of  the  Republican  Guard  stationed  near  the  Cafe, 
where  towards  the  evening  hours  the  scene  becomes  won- 
derfully animated,  with  the  moving  procession  of  vehicles 
and  the  hundreds  of  pedestrians.  In  the  far  distance  are 
the  blue  mountains,  sharply  silhouetted  against  the  clear 
sky,  which  in  the  fading  light  takes  on  varied  tints  under 
the  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  As  the  twilight  comes,  the 
whole  scene  suggests  a piece  of  illuminated  fairyland; 
the  carriage  lights  flit,  in  the  growing  darkness,  among  the 
trees  like  fireflies;  the  electric  lamps  flash  out  along  the 
Paseo;  in  the  distance  the  sky  glows  with  the  lights  of 
the  capital;  and  as  the  leaves  of  the  trees  idly  stir  in  the 
evening  breeze,  the  band  strikes  up  the  stirring  Mexican 
National  Anthem,  and  the  pleasant  hours  at  Chapultepec 
come  to  an  end. 

On  week-days,  from  six  to  seven,  a procession  of  carriages 
drives  up  and  down  San  Francisco  Street  in  an  endless  chain, 
going  down  one  side  and  returning  on  the  other,  the  occu- 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


105 


pants  sitting  up  very  straight  and  solemn,  looking  as  if 
they  were  taking  part  in  a most  serious  function.  Some  of 
the  automobiles  are  quite  imposing.  I saw  one  gorgeous 
car  in  which  a wealthy  Mexican  and  his  family  were  riding. 
The  chauffeur  was  dressed  in  the  height  of  motor  style, 
and  in  the  rear,  with  folded  arms,  sat  two  French  footmen, 
resplendent  in  black  attire,  top-hats  and  white  gloves. 

Riding  and  promenading  are  not  the  only  recreations 
enjoyed  by  the  people  of  Mexico  City  on  Sunday  afternoons, 
for  thousands  flock  to  the  ever  popular  bull-fights,  which 
are  held  in  the  Plaza  de  Toros  or  Bull-ring,  not  far  from 
Chapultepec.  On  Sundays  the  street-cars  which  run  in  the 
direction  of  Chapultepec  all  bear  a great  label,  Toros 
(Bulls),  and  are  packed  with  people. 

The  Plaza  de  Toros  is  a huge  circular  building  of  stone 
and  wood,  with  an  interior  that  forms  an  immense  amphi- 
theatre, seating  thousands  of  people.  Rising  to  the  top, 
where  the  private  boxes  are  situated,  are  tiers  of  seats, 
and  as  there  is  no  roof  except  over  the  outer  circle  shading 
the  boxes,  there  is  a shady  side  called  ^^Sombra,^’  and  a 
sunny  side,  ^‘Sol,”  with  prices  varying  from  ten  to  twenty- 
five  cents  in  the  sun,  and  from  fifty  cents  to  a dollar  and  a 
half  in  the  shade. 

Bull-fights  or  corridas  de  toros  are  conducted  in  much 
the  same  way  as  in  Spain,  and  have  been  too  often  de- 
scribed to  need  repetition.  In  Mexico,  however,  the 
spectators  never  seem  satisfied  unless  several  horses  are 
killed.  The  picadors,  who  carry  pikes  with  which  they 
prod  and  torture  the  bull,  are  mounted  on  old  hacks  and 
seem  to  purposely  get  in  the  way  of  the  enraged  animal. 
Their  horses  get  gored  terribly,  and  are  kept  on  their  feet 
as  long  as  they  can  stand,  streaming  with  blood.  When- 
ever they  drop  dead,  other  poor  hacks  are  brought  in  to 
take  their  places,  the  spectators  sometimes  shouting,  Otro 


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caballo^^  (Another  horse).  The  bulls  are  of  Spanish  breed, 
with  huge  horns,  some  of  them  imported  from  Spain,  and 
some  of  them  bred  locally. 

I went  to  the  bull-ring  one  Sunday  afternoon  and  saw 
six  bulls  killed.  During  the  fight,  several  horses  were  gored 
and  despatched,  until  the  whole  place  reeked  with  blood 
like  a shambles.  The  fight  had  been  well  advertised  in 
the  newspapers,  and  the  public  were  invited  to  see  the 
butchery  of  ^^six  terrible  bulls,  unusually  fierce  — the 
greatest  fight  on  record.’^  Most  of  the  bulls  were  very 
mild  specimens,  and  submitted  to  being  killed  without  much 
of  a fight.  One  of  them  turned  tail  and  fled,  leaping  over 
the  fence  at  the  entrance  to  the  ring.  The  spectators  were 
furious,  and  shouted  all  sorts  of  uncomplimentary  remarks 
about  the  management.  One  man  yelled,  Where  are 
the  fierce  bulls  advertised  in  the  Imparcialf”  to  which  the 
^^sol”  or  the  gallery  gods’'  responded  with  hooting  and 
groans.  All  through  the  fight,  the  matadors  and  toreadors 
were  greeted  with  shouts  of  praise  or  denunciation  whenever 
they  made  a good  coup  or  a bad  mistake. 

Most  of  the  toreadors  come  from  Spain,  and  as  they  get 
from  $1000  to  $2500  for  each  performance  many  of  them 
are  quite  wealthy.  The  toreadors  are  lionized  by  the 
lower  classes  in  much  the  same  way  as  prize-fighters  are  in 
England  and  America.  A popular  toreador  of  Mexican 
birth  is  a millionaire  amateur  who  goes  into  the  ring  just 
for  the  pure  love  of  the  sport. 

As  a rule,  the  Mexican  upper  classes  do  not  visit  the 
bull-ring,  and  the  President  is  never  seen  at  a fight.  As  a 
matter  of  fact.  President  Diaz  endeavored  to  have  the 
sport  abolished,  but  even  the  all-powerful  Diaz  could 
not  carry  his  point  in  this  instance.  The  people  adore 
the  pastime,  and  the  Mexican  small  boy  plays  at  bull- 
fighting as  the  American  boy  does  at  baseball. 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


107 


Suburban  life  is  yearly  becoming  more  popular  with 
people  in  Mexico  City,  and  there  are  several  Mexican  equiv- 
alents of  our  New  Jersey  suburban  towns,  where  well-to-do 
citizens  have  their  homes.  Most  of  these  places  are  old 
towns  and  villages  adjacent  to  the  city,  and  easily  reached 
by  the  electric  street-cars.  One  of  the  prettiest  suburban 
towns  is  Tacubaya,  which  abounds  in  beautiful  parks, 
gardens  and  shady  streets  filled  with  flowers  and  fine  trees. 
Tacubaya  lies  on  the  hills  back  of  Chapultepec,  and  was  once 
as  infamous  for  gambling  as  Monte  Carlo.  The  streets 
were  filled  with  gambling  booths  where  every  sort  of  game 
of  chance  was  played,  and  any  one  could  wager  from  five 
cents  to  a dollar ; while  in  the  gambling  houses  there  would 
sometimes  be  $20,000  or  $30,000  on  the  table  at  once.  To- 
day all  is  changed.  Tacubaya  is  now  a model  of  respecta- 
bility, and  gambling,  if  indulged  in,  has  to  be  carried  on  far 
more  privately. 

Twenty  minutes'  ride  in  a street-car  took  me,  one  after- 
noon, to  Popotla,  where  still  stands  the  tree  of  la  Noche 
Triste  (the  Sorrowful  Night),  under  which  Cortes  is  said 
to  have  wept  on  the  night  of  his  defeat  by  the  Aztecs 
(July  1,  1520).  The  tree,  a cypress,  gnarled  and  withered 
by  the  hand  of  time,  is  enclosed  by  a high  iron  fence  to 
guard  it  from  souvenir  hunters.  Some  years  ago,  an  Indian 
fanatic  lit  a fire  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  with  the  purpose  of 
burning  it  down,  but  it  was  fortunately  discovered  before 
much  damage  was  done. 

The  country  round  Mexico  City  abounds  in  mementos 
of  the  mysterious  races  which  once  inhabited  the  country, 
and  there  is  hardly  a district  that  does  not  contain  the 
remains  of  once  imposing  temples,  palaces  or  tombs. 
Among  the  most  important  of  these  are  the  Pyramids  of 
the  Sun  and  Moon,  which  are  situated  near  the  village  of 
San  Juan  Teotihuacan,  twenty-seven  miles  from  the  city, 


108 


MEXICO 


and  reached  by  the  Mexican  Central  Railway.  The  village 
marks  the  site  of  a famous  Toltec  city,  and  some  wonderful 
structures  raised  by  the  Toltecs  are  said  to  have  been  stand- 
ing there  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  Conquest,  but  were  sub- 
sequently reduced  to  ruins.  Teotihuacan  means  ‘^City  of 
the  Gods,’’  and  the  ancient  city  may  have  been  a holy 
place  or  city  of  temples.  There  is  a great  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  whether  the  Toltecs  or  some  race  that  pre- 
ceded them  built  the  pyramids  and  erected  various  great 
structures  near  to  them,  the  ruins  of  which  still  exist. 
Some  archeologists  assert,  however,  that  they  are  as  old 
as  the  ancient  works  of  Egypt  and  India. 

In  company  with  an  American  friend,  I went  out  one 
day  to  see  the  pyramids,  which  stand  in  the  midst  of  a great 
plain.  Surrounding  them  in  all  directions  there  are  ruins 
of  an  ancient  city  with  fortifications  and  walls,  one  of  the 
latter  measuring  200  feet  in  width.  The  Pyramid  of  the  Sun 
is  216  feet  high,  the  base  751  feet  by  721,  while  the  top  is  59 
by  105 ; the  Moon  Pyramid  is  somewhat  smaller.  Both  are 
supposed  to  have  served  as  bases  for  temples  which  stood 
on  their  summits.  In  their  interior  construction  a mixture 
of  clay  and  volcanic  pebbles  was  used,  over  which  was  laid 
a facing  of  light  porous  stone,  and  this,  in  turn,  thickly 
coated  with  white  stucco.  But  with  the  progress  of  time 
they  have  lost  their  original  appearance,  and  now  resemble 
earthen  mounds.  At  the  time  of  the  Conquest,  a temple 
stood  on  the  larger  pyramid,  having  a colossal  statue  of 
the  sun  made  of  a single  block  of  stone.  In  a hollow  in 
the  centre  of  this  there  was  a planet  of  fine  gold.  The 
temple  and  the  figure  of  the  sun  were  destroyed  by  the 
Spaniards,  who  also  seized  the  gold. 

There  are  several  smaller  pyramids  or  mounds  on  the 
plain,  some  of  which  have  been  excavated,  revealing  in  at 
least  one  case  chambers  with  frescoed  walls.  It  has  been 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  CAPITAL 


109 


suggested  that  they  were  shrines  attached  to  the  greater 
temples.  The  frescoes,  cornices  and  walls  were  colored  in 
ten  or  twenty  different  shades  or  tints.  In  the  Moon 
Pyramid,  some  years  back,  a passage  was  discovered,  the 
walls  of  which  were  of  cut  stone  carefully  orientated. 

The  Indians  who  live  about  Teotihuacan  have  some 
queer  ideas  concerning  the  ruins,  and  firmly  believe  that  the 
pyramids  were  built  by  giants.  Most  of  them  are  con- 
vinced that  treasure  is  buried  somewhere  among  the  crum- 
bling walls ; and  they  can  sometimes  be  seen  prowling  about 
the  ancient  stonework  as  if  in  search  of  this  mythical  gold. 
Occasionally,  as  I discovered,  their  ideas  of  wealth  are  on 
a much  humbler  basis.  As  we  were  examining  the  rugged 
sides  of  the  Moon  Pyramid,  we  suddenly  came  upon  an 
Indian  woman,  wrapped  in  her  faded  rebosa,  seated  among 
the  debris  of  ages,  gazing  pensively  at  a large  stone  on  which 
there  was  some  rude  carving.  ‘^Musing  over  the  glories 
of  her  ancestors,  poor  soul,’^  suggested  my  companion,  and 
so  it  seemed.  But  the  thoughts  of  this  female  descendant 
of  the  Aztecs  were  apparently  of  a different  nature;  for 
on  catching  sight  of  us,  she  hurried  forward  with  out- 
stretched palm,  and  gave  utterance  to  the  words  so  con- 
stantly heard  in  Mexico,  ^^Solo  un  centavo,  senores^^  (Only 
one  penny,  gentlemen). 

When  contrasted  with  the  present  decadence  of  the 
Indian  races  in  Mexico,  the  wonderful  skill  exhibited  by 
the  ancient  builders  in  the  construction  of  their  temples 
and  palaces  seems  all  the  more  remarkable.  Charnay,  the 
French  archeologist,  who  made  a thorough  exploration  of 
the  ruins  of  Tula  and  Teotihuacan,  expresses  deep  admira- 
tion for  their  architectural  designs.  In  his  work,  ^^The 
Ancient  Cities  of  the  New  World,”  he  says:  Unlike  most 

primitive  nations,  they  used  every  material  at  once.  They 
coated  their  inner  walls  with  mud  and  mortar,  faced  their 


110 


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outer  walls  with  baked  bricks  and  cut  stone,  had  wooden 
roofs  and  brick  and  stone  staircases.  They  were  acquainted 
with  pilasters  and  caryatides,  with  square  and  round 
columns;  indeed,  they  seem  to  have  been  familiar  with 
every  architectural  device.  That  they  were  painters  and 
sculptors  we  had  ample  indications  in  a house  that  we  un- 
earthed, where  the  walls  were  covered  with  rosettes,  palms, 
and  red,  white  and  gray  geometrical  figures  on  a black 
ground.^^  In  several  places  the  remains  of  irrigation  works 
have  been  found,  showing  that  the  land  was  carefully 
cultivated  in  ancient  times. 

A curious  causeway  named  Calle  de  los  Muertos  (Street 
of  the  Dead)  connects  the  Sun  Pyramid  with  the  Moon 
Pyramid ; and  on  either  side  of  this  is  a terrace  of  cement 
and  lava  faced  with  mortar  of  high  polish  and  brightly 
colored.  Along  this  street  many  mounds  have  been  opened, 
revealing  chests  of  cut  stone  containing  bones,  ornaments 
of  obsidian,  earthen  vases  and  miniature  earthen  masks. 
One  theory  is  that  these  masks  were  portraits  of  the  dead, 
buried  in  the  same  way  as  in  the  Egyptian  tombs.  Charnay, 
who  collected  a number  of  these  masks,  says:  Among 

them  are  types  which  do  not  seem  to  belong  to  America; 
a negro,  whose  thick  lips,  flat  nose  and  woolly  hair  pro- 
claim his  African  origin;  a Chinese  head,  Caucasian  and 
Japanese  specimens ; heads  with  retreating  foreheads,  and 
not  a few  with  Greek  profiles.  The  lower  jaw  is  straight 
or  projecting,  the  faces  smooth  or  bearded;  in  short,  it  is 
a wonderful  medley,  indicative  of  the  numerous  races  who 
succeeded  each  other  and  amalgamated  on  this  continent, 
which  until  lately  was  supposed  to  be  so  new  and  is  in  truth 
so  old.^^ 


'HE  PASEO  DE  LA  REFORMA. 
Mexico  City’s  beautiful  driveway. 


CHAPTER  VI 


CHURCHES  AND  MIRACLES 

Mexico  City,  like  London,  possesses  a number  of  old 
churches,  many  of  which  have  been  overtaken  by  the  on- 
ward march  of  commerce,  and  find  themselves  to-day  sur- 
rounded by  prosaic  stores  and  warehouses.  Some  of  these 
old  structures  date  from  the  early  days  of  the  Conquest; 
they  give  a touch  of  the  picturesque  to  otherwise  un- 
attractive streets;  and  their  history,  too,  is  often  full  of 
romantic  interest.  Few  of  them  are  architecturally  beauti- 
ful, the  outside  usually  being  far  more  imposing  than  the 
interior.  They  are  generally  built  of  stone  and  stucco, 
painted  with  kalsomine  or  distemper,  which  has  long  ago 
faded  into  soft  tints  of  pink,  yellow  or  cream,  giving  them 
an  appearance  of  great  antiquity. 

One  of  these  old  churches,  Jesus  Nazareno,  is  famous 
for  having  been  founded  by  Cortes  shortly  after  his  occupa- 
tion of  the  country.  Large  sums  were  lavished  by  him  for 
this  building,  which  was  begun  in  1575,  and  took  nearly  a 
hundred  years  to  complete.  Appropriately  enough,  the 
bones  of  the  great  Conquistador  rested  here.  He  had 
directed  that  should  he  die  in  Spain  his  bones  were  to  be 
taken,  after  ten  years,  to  Mexico  and  deposited  in  the 
Convent  de  la  Concepcion,  which  he  proposed  to  erect,  but 
never  built. 

Cortes  died  on  December  2,  1547,  in  Castilleja  de  la 
Questa,  Spain.  His  body  was  placed  in  the  tomb  of  the 
dukes  of  Medina  Sidonia,  and  a decade  later  was  removed 

111 


112 


MEXICO 


to  Mexico  to  the  Church  of  San  Francisco  in  Texcoco. 
There  they  remained  until  1629,  when  Don  Pedro  Cortes, 
his  grandson,  and  the  last  of  the  male  line,  died.  The  bones 
of  the  Conqueror,  together  with  those  of  the  latter,  were 
with  great  ceremony  placed  in  the  Church  of  San  Francisco 
in  Mexico  City.  But  even  here  they  were  not  allowed  to 
rest  longer  than  165  years,  for  in  1734  they  were  once  more 
exhumed  and  interred  in  a splendid  marble  mausoleum  in 
the  church  of  Jesus  Nazareno.  This  was  their  home  for 
thirty  years ; but  during  the  War  of  Independence,  when 
everything  Spanish  was  hateful  to  the  Mexicans,  the  coffin 
was  secretly  removed  and  hidden  in  another  part  of  the 
church.  Later  it  was  sent  to  Spain,  and  found  eventually 
a final  resting-place  in  the  tomb  of  the  dukes  of  Monteleone 
in  Italy.  Thus  the  remains  of  this  great  Spaniard,  after 
crossing  the  Atlantic  twice  and  having  been  entombed  once 
in  the  country  of  his  birth  and  thrice  in  the  country  he 
conquered,  found,  at  last,  a final  resting  place  in  an  alien 
land. 

The  ancient-looking  church  of  Nuestra  Senora  de  los 
Angeles,  which  faces  the  Plaza  de  Zaragosa,  about  a mile 
from  the  Alameda,  was  founded  in  1580  as  the  result  of  a 
strange  miracle.  During  that  year  the  city  was  inundated, 
and  in  the  course  of  the  flood  an  Aztec  chieftain,  Isayoque, 
discovered  a picture  of  the  Virgin  floating  in  the  water. 

He  erected  a chapel  of  adobe,  and  had  a replica  of  the 
picture  painted  on  the  walls.  Fifteen  years  afterwards 
a larger  church  was  built  over  the  mud-brick  one,  keeping 
intact  the  wall  on  which  the  picture  was  painted,  in  the 
design  of  which  so  many  angels  figured  that  the  shrine 
was  called  ‘^Our  Lady  of  the  Angels.^'  In  1607  much 
damage  was  done  to  the  church  by  another  flood,  and  the 
picture  was  injured,  but  the  face  and  hands  were  unhurt, 
an  accident  which  was  superstitiously  magnified  into  a 


CHURCHES  AND  MIRACLES 


113 


miracle.  Two  centuries  later  the  present  church  was  built, 
and  the  remains  of  the  miraculous  painting,  covered  with 
glass,  are  shown  within. 

Not  far  from  the  Alameda  there  also  stands  the  venerable 
church  of  San  Hipolito,  which  marks  the  spot  where  the 
Spaniards  were  defeated  and  slaughtered  by  the  Aztecs 
on  the  famous  Sorrowful  Night”  during  their  retreat  from 
the  city.  Then  the  place  was  occupied  by  a canal,  but  this 
dried  up  years  ago.  On  the  victorious  return  of  the 
Spaniards  on  the  feast-day  of  San  Hipolito,  August  13,  1521, 
a Spanish  soldier,  Juan  Garrido,  built  a small  chapel  of  adobe 
in  memory  of  his  fallen  comrades.  This  was  called  San 
Hipolito  of  the  Martyrs,  and  the  name  is  still  preserved. 
In  1599  a much  larger  church  was  begun,  and  completed 
in  1739.  For  many  years  on  the  13th  of  each  August 
the  monks  made  processions  to  the  church,  bearing  the 
crimson  banner  used  by  Cortes  during  the  wars  of  the  con- 
quest. On  the  church  wall  is  the  Sorrowful  Night  ” me- 
morial tablet.  Cut  on  the  stone  is  an  eagle,  with  an  Indian 
in  his  claws,  the  rest  of  the  design  being  composed  of  musical 
instruments,  arrows,  spears  and  trophies  of  the  Aztecs. 

Another  interesting  church  is  that  of  Jesus  Maria,  founded 
in  1557  by  two  Spaniards,  with  the  idea  that  the  female 
descendants  of  the  conquerors  should  take  the  veil.  The 
convent  was  completed  in  1580  and  removed  to  its  present 
site  in  1582,  when  there  came  a nun  who  was  alleged  to  be 
a daughter  of  Philip  II  of  Spain,  and  a niece  of  the  then 
Archbishop  of  Mexico.  This  story  gains  corroboration  from 
the  fact  that  the  convent  benefited  largely  by  grants  from 
the  royal  treasury  of  Spain  and  the  viceregal  exchequer  of 
Mexico. 

Almost  all  these  churches,  and  in  fact  most  of  those 
found  throughout  the  temperate  regions  of  Mexico,  are  of 
similar  design,  with  a central  dome  and  Doric  towers. 


114 


MEXICO 


Some  scores  of  the  finer  city  churches  and  convents  were 
confiscated  by  the  government  after  the  disestablishment, 
and  are  now  used  as  warehouses,  hotels,  private  residences 
or  government  offices. 

For  two  centuries  after  the  Conquest  there  was  an  epoch 
of  church-building  in  Mexico.  Peon  and  millionaire  sub- 
scribed lavishly,  and  the  remarkable  feature  of  this  great 
outburst  of  building  was  the  way  in  which  Aztec  and 
Spanish  art  were  blended,  with  a result  that,  if  somewhat 
barbarically  florid,  is  very  impressive.  Even  in  secluded 
villages  and  townships  you  can  see  towers  and  domes  which 
rival  the  best  work  of  Italy  and  are  reminiscent  of  the 
triumphs  of  Moorish  art.  For  the  most  part,  they  were  the 
work  of  the  native  Indians,  who  carried  out  the  architectural 
ideas  of  their  Spanish  masters . Many  of  the  intricate  designs 
and  elaborate  figures  doubtless  represent  the  mythology  of 
the  Aztecs,  blended  with  the  traditions  of  the  victorious 
church.  In  some  details  there  is  a strong  likeness  to  the 
strange  symbols  of  the  ancient  Egyptian  and  Persian  monu- 
ments. The  ornate  facades  often  exhibit  a blending  of 
the  two  religions,  the  Christian  saints  being  substituted  for 
the  pagan  deities. 

In  some  quite  small  villages  the  churches  astound  with 
their  splendor.  Here  and  there  is  a towering  fane  with 
hardly  a trace  of  a human  dwelling  near  it.  But  this  is 
not  the  case  in  the  tropical  portions  of  Mexico,  where  the 
churches  are  of  a very  humble  and  unadorned  nature. 
Doubtless  this  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  early  conquerors 
did  not  penetrate  the  hot  lands,  and  also  to  the  difficulty 
which  the  constant  risk  of  earthquakes  presented  to  the 
church-builders. 

For  the  most  part  the  beauty  of  the  churches  is  external, 
the  interiors  being  often  disappointing  and  garish  in  their 
ornamentation.  But  as  you  stand  outside  you  feel  strangely 


CHUECHES  AND  MIEACLES 


11& 


impressed  with  the  weird  beauty  of  the  extravagant  and 
often  bizarre  sculptures.  On  this  point  Charles  Dudley 
Warner  says : There  is  a touch  of  decay  nearly  everywhere^ 

a crumbling  and  defacement  of  colors  which  adds  some- 
what of  pathos  to  these  old  Mexican  structures,  but  in  nearly 
every  one  there  is  some  unexpected  fancy,  a belfry  oddly 
placed,  a figure  that  surprises  with  the  quaintness  of  its 
position,  or  a rich  bit  of  deep  stone  carving;  and  in  the 
humblest  and  plainest  fagade  there  is  a note  of  individual 
yielding  to  a whim  of  expression  that  is  very  fascinating. 
The  architects  escaped  from  the  commonplace  and  con- 
ventional ; they  understood  proportion  without  regularity, 
and  the  result  is  perhaps  not  explainable  to  those  who  are 
only  accustomed  to  English  church  architecture.’^ 

In  keeping  with  the  somewhat  tawdry  ornamentation 
of  the  interiors,  the  organs  of  most  Mexican  churches  are 
very  inferior,  and  most  of  them  have  too  much  resemblance 
to  the  old-fashioned  street  organ,  lacking  both  musical 
qualities  and  power.  The  choir-boys  rarely  have  good 
voices.  They  are  too  nasal  and  harsh. 

Most  of  the  old  churches  were  erected  as  the  result  of 
some  supposed  supernatural  occurrence,  Mexico,  for  two 
centuries  after  the  Conquest,  having  been  a veritable  land 
of  miracles.  Nearly  every  town  and  village  has  its  legend 
of  miraculous  appearances  of  the  Virgin,  of  saints  or  angels. 
Almost  every  church  has  its  wonderworking  image  or 
picture,  superstitiously  guarded  through  the  ages.  For 
example,  at  Tacubaya,  not  far  from  the  capital,  there  is 
the  arbol  benito  (blessed  tree).  The  story  is  that  an  aged 
monk,  weary  with  his  work  among  the  Indians,  rested  under 
the  shade  and  gave  the  tree  his  benediction,  praying  that 
it  might  be  blessed  with  eternal  youth.  No  sooner  had 
the  good  man  spoken  than  a choir  of  sweet  angel  voices 
was  heard,  and  a spring  of  pure  water  gushed  from  the 


116 


MEXICO 


roots.  You  really  feel  you  must  believe  this,  for  the  tree 
is  standing  there,  ever  green,  and  the  little  rivulet  flows  on 
forever. 

The  church  of  La  Piedad,  in  another  suburb,  was  built  by 
a Dominican  in  1562  in  fulfilment  of  a vow.  He  was  com- 
missioned by  the  brotherhood  to  bring  them  from  Rome  a 
picture  of  the  Virgin  and  the  dead  Christ,  painted  by  a well- 
known  artist.  Obliged  to  come  away  in  a hurry,  he  brought 
the  picture  in  an  unfinished  state.  During  his  journey  the 
vessel  was  overwhelmed  in  a terrible  storm,  and  the  monk 
vowed  to  the  Virgin  that  if  the  ship  came  safely  to  port  he 
would  build  a church  in  her  honor.  The  prayer  was  an- 
swered; and  more  than  this,  for  when  the  painting  was 
exposed  in  Mexico,  it  was  found  to  be  finished  in  all  its 
details.  This  remarkable  picture  is  hung  to-day  over  the 
altar. 

At  Los  Remedios,  three  miles  from  the  city,  stands  the 
church  of  our  Lady  of  Succor,  or  Senora  de  los  Remedios. 
During  the  flight  of  the  ‘^Sorrowful  Night a Spanish 
soldier,  Juan  de  Villafuente,  had  on  him  an  image  of  the 
Virgin.  Wounded  and  unable  to  guard  it,  he  hid  it  under 
a maguey  plant.  Twenty  years  later,  an  Aztec  chief, 
Cequauhtzin  or  Juan  Aguila,  while  hunting  on  the  hill  of 
Totaltepec,  saw  the  Virgin  in  a vision,  and  she  told  him  to 
seek  the  image.  The  chief  searched,  found  it  under  a 
maguey  plant  and  took  it  home.  In  the  morning  it  had 
disappeared,  and  on  returning  he  found  it  again  under  the 
maguey.  Once  more  he  took  the  image  back  to  his  house, 
where  he  placed  fruit  and  flowers  as  offerings  before  it, 
but  it  returned  to  the  plant.  Again  he  brought  it  back, 
and  this  time,  being  a cautious  man,  he  locked  it  in  a strong- 
box and  all  night  long  slept  on  the  lid.  But  even  these 
precautions  were  in  vain ; for  when  dawn  came,  the  box  was 
empty,  and  the  image  was  found  under  the  maguey.  The 


'V  <' 

^y  ^ •■ ' 


-’^;>-36i^ 


FIGURES  OF  CHAC-MOL  (GOD  OF  FIRE)  AND  EL  INDIO  TRISTE  (THE  SAD  INDIAN). 
The  latter,  it  is  believed,  once  stood  in  the  great  Aztec  temple. 


CHURCHES  AND  MIRACLES 


117 


Indian  told  his  story  to  the  priests,  and  they , convinced  that 
a miracle  had  taken  place,  built  a shrine  on  the  spot  and 
placed  the  image  in  it.  This  was  afterwards  replaced  by 
the  present  church,  begun  in  1574,  and  the  restless  image, 
which  is  of  rudely  carved  wood,  much  disfigured  by  time, 
is  now  enshrined  on  the  great  altar.  It  measures  about 
eight  inches.  The  gourd  in  which  the  Aztec  chief  placed 
his  offerings  before  it  is  also  preserved  in  a silken  case. 

Greater  far  than  all  these  miracles,  however,  is  that  of 
our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,  the  patron  saint  of  Mexico,  which 
is  honored  by  a great  national  festival  on  the  tenth  of  every 
December.  The  shrine  of  Mexico^s  saint  is  an  imposing 
church  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  about  three  miles  from  the 
capital.  Thousands  of  Indians  pour  into  the  city  to  attend 
this  festival,  some  by  train,  some  on  horseback  or  burro, 
hundreds  more  tramping  on  foot  from  remote  parts  of  the 
Republic. 

The  legend  to  which  these  remarkable  pilgrimages  owe 
their  origin  dates  from  the  early  days  of  the  Conquest.  In 
the  year  1531,  so  the  story  goes,  an  Indian,  Juan  Diego, 
a native  of  Tolpetlac,  walking  over  the  hill  of  Guadalupe 
to  mass,  of  a sudden  heard  the  singing  of  angels,  and  to  him 
appeared  the  Virgin,  who  bade  him  go  to  the  bishop  and 
say  that  it  was  her  wish  that  in  her  honor  a temple  be  built 
on  the  spot.  Juan  hurried  to  the  bishop,  Don  Juan  Zu- 
marraga,  who,  however,  doubted  the  story.  Much  disap- 
pointed, Juan  reclimbed  the  hill;  and  again  the  Virgin 
appeared  to  him,  bidding  him  once  more  convey  her  com- 
mands to  the  bishop.  Juan  again  returned,  but  the  bishop 
still  discredited  the  message,  and  asked  the  Indian  to  prove 
his  story  in  some  way.  On  his  departure,  the  bishop  sent 
two  of  his  servants  to  follow  him,  but  on  approaching  the 
hill  he  mysteriously  disappeared  from  view.  The  third 
time  the  Virgin  appeared,  and  Juan  told  her  the  bishop 


118 


MEXICO 


demanded  a proof  of  her  appearance.  She  bade  him  come 
the  next  day,  when  she  would  give  him  a sign.  On  his 
return  home,  the  Indian  found  his  uncle  dangerously  ill, 
and  during  the  next  day  he  was  busy  nursing  the  sick 
man.  ^ 

The  following  morning  Juan  started  for  Tlaltelolco  to 
fetch  a confessor.  In  order  to  avoid  meeting  the  Virgin, 
he  did  not  take  the  usual  road,  but  went  by  another  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  hill,  yet,  despite  this  precaution,  the  Virgin 
again  appeared.  Juan  told  her  the  reason  of  his  absence 
the  day  before  and  of  his  errand.  She  replied  that  he  need 
have  no  fear,  as  his  uncle  was  completely  restored.  Then 
she  bade  him  gather  flowers  from  the  barren  hillside,  and 
to  his  amazement  he  saw  beautiful  flowers  growing  around. 
The  Virgin  ordered  him  to  gather  these  and  take  them  to 
the  bishop,  warning  him  not  to  show  them  to  any  one  until 
the  bishop  had  seen  them.  Carefully  wrapping  the  flowers 
in  his  blanket  or  tilma,  Juan  hurried  to  the  bishop^s  house. 
On  his  arrival,  he  unfolded  his  tilma,  when  upon  it  there 
was  seen  a beautifully  painted  image  of  the  Virgin.  Taking 
this  wonderful  picture,  the  bishop  placed  it  reverently  in 
the  chapel  of  his  residence,  and  when  Juan  returned  home 
he  found  his  uncle  quite  well,  as  the  Virgin  had  declared. 

The  bishop  ordered  a chapel  to  be  built  on  the  spot  where 
the  Virgin  had  appeared,  and  in  it  was  placed  the  holy 
painting  in  February,  1532.  It  is  now  kept  in  a tabernacle 
in  a frame  of  gold  and  silver,  covered  with  plate-glass. 
The  tilma  is  a coarse  cloth  of  ixtl  fibre,  and  of  the  picture 
which  is  painted  on  it  much  of  the  coloring  still  remains, 
the  blue  robe  and  pink  skirt  of  the  Virgin  and  the  surround- 
ing halo  being  wonderfully  well  preserved.  Ecclesiastics 
declare  that  the  painting  has  been  examined  by  many 
Mexican  artists,  but  the  manner  of  its  exact  production 
remains  a mystery.  Sceptical  Mexicans  scoff  at  this  and 


CHURCHES  AND  MIRACLES 


119 


declare  the  picture  is  a crude  piece  of  work,  while  admitting 
that  the  coloring  is  remarkable  considering  its  age. 

The  present  church  of  Guadalupe  was  completed  in  1836 
at  a cost  of  two  and  a half  million  dollars.  It  is  a massive 
stone  structure,  with  a central  dome  flanked  by  towers 
filled  with  bells.  Its  height  from  the  floor  to  the  dome  is 
125  feet.  In  size  the  church  is  quite  a cathedral,  and  its 
services  are  so  organized.  The  interior  is  magnificently 
adorned,  a massive  railing  of  solid  silver  weighing  twenty- 
six  tons  enclosing  the  high  altar  of  Carrara  marble.  Here 
is  enshrined  the  sacred  tilma.  Over  the  altar  are  some 
Latin  lines  in  honor  of  the  Virgin,  written  specially  by  Pope 
Leo  XIII.  The  walls  of  the  basilica  are  adorned  with  five 
frescos  portraying  the  history  of  Guadalupe.  In  1895  a 
golden  crown,  richly  bejewelled,  was  presented  to  the  church 
to  be  suspended  over  the  painting,  the  gems  having  been 
subscribed  by  the  women  of  Mexico  from  their  own  jewels. 
It  is  a glittering  mass  of  diamonds,  rubies  and  sapphires. 

To  the  right  of  the  church  is  a chapel  built  over  a spring 
which  gushed  from  the  ground  where  the  Virgin  stood,  and 
which  the  superstitious  believe  has  medicinal  properties. 
At  the  back  of  the  chapel  are  the  tombs  of  Santa  Ana  and 
several  other  men  famous  in  Mexican  history.  Beginning 
at  the  church  is  the  hill  of  Guadalupe,  ascended  by  a long 
flight  of  stone  steps  which  lead  to  a shrine  at  the  summit. 
It  is  a long,  tiring  climb,  but  all  the  pious  who  make  pil- 
grimages to  the  church  ascend  the  hill.  Halfway  up  are 
the  so-called  Stone  Sails  of  Guadalupe,  an  interesting  monu- 
ment of  the  romantic  past.  Some  two  hundred  years  ago, 
so  the  story  runs,  a crew  of  sailors  caught  in  a storm  prayed 
to  the  Virgin  of  Guadalupe,  vowing  that  if  they  were  brought 
safely  to  land  they  would  carry  their  ship’s  foremast  to  the 
hill  of  Guadalupe  and  set  the  sails  up  before  her  shrine. 
Being  saved,  the  sailors  fulfilled  their  promise,  and  their 


120 


MEXICO 


curious  monument  was  eventually  replaced  with  sails  of 
stone. 

On  the  day  of  the  great  festival,  which  is  kept  as  a public 
holiday  all  over  Mexico,  I drove  with  some  friends  in  an 
automobile  to  Guadalupe.  The  electric  cars  which  run 
out  to  the  city  were  packed  with  people,  mostly  Indians. 
Hundreds  of  men,  women  and  children  were  walking  in 
the  road,  some  coming  from  Guadalupe,  others  going  there. 
A large  force  of  the  mounted  Republican  Guard  were 
stationed  along  the  road  to  keep  order.  When  we  arrived 
within  a mile  of  the  church,  the  crowd  became  so  dense 
that  the  police  stopped  our  car.  We  got  out,  and  making 
very  slow  progress,  eventually  reached  the  church,  where 
we  witnessed  a most  remarkable  scene.  The  plaza  in  front 
of  the  church  was  packed  with  a moving  mass  of  Indians 
of  every  tribe  and  color,  wrapped  in  bright  blankets  of  every 
hue,  the  women  all  wearing  the  inevitable  blue  rebosa. 
There  were  long  lines  of  booths  for  the  sale  of  tamales, 
chili-con-carne,  green  and  red  peppers  and  all  the  other 
weird  eatables  the  Indian  heart  delighteth  in,  together  with 
gallons  of  pulque  and  mescal.  There  were  stalls  where 
crudely  colored  pictures  of  the  sacred  tilma  and  tilma 
postcards  were  on  sale,  and  a roaring  trade  was  being  done 
in  candles,  beads,  charms  and  trinkets  of  every  kind.  The 
gambling  booths  were  surrounded  by  excited  crowds  of 
Indians  intent  on  losing  their  last  centavos,  and  a touch 
of  the  modern,  with  its  vulgarity,  was  introduced  by  the 
whining  screech  of  a phonograph  and  the  strumming  of  a 
piano-organ  which  ground  out  tunes  for  the  merry-go- 
round. 

Inside  the  churchyard,  a large  stone-paved  enclosure, 
were  encamped  hundreds  of  Indian  families,  some  with  all 
their  belongings  and  eatables,  a mass  of  men,  women, 
children  and  babies.  Most  of  them  were  filthy  and  travel- 


CHURCH  AT  TEPOZOTLAX. 

A fine  specimen  of  Mexican  church  architecture 


'»5' 


CHURCHES  AND  MIRACLES 


121 


stained,  and  the  smell  of  this  unwashed  humanity  was  almost 
intolerable.  The  encampment  of  these  Indian  pilgrims 
extended  for  nearly  a mile  around  the  church;  here  and 
there  fires  were  burning,  and  repulsive-looking  food  was  being 
cooked.  Pushing  our  way  through  the  crowd,  we  managed 
to  enter  the  church,  which  was  filled  with  kneeling  Indian 
worshippers,  holding  tapers  in  their  hands.  Almost  every 
tribe  in  the  Republic  was  represented  in  this  strange  as- 
sembly, the  worshippers  all  pressing  forward  in  the  intensity 
of  their  devotion,  trying  to  get  still  closer  to  the  shrine  of 
their  patroness. 

Mass  was  being  sung  by  gorgeously  robed  priests,  among 
whom  was  the  Archbishop  of  Mexico,  wearing  vestments  of 
white  and  gold.  Choir  boys  in  surplices  of  crimson  and 
white,  mostly  swarthy  young  Indians,  sang  incessantly, 
their  voices  being  very  nasal  and  harsh.  The  Indians  may 
sing  musically  in  their  own  language,  but  when  they  speak 
in  Spanish  or  sing  in  Latin  their  voices  are  almost  always 
unpleasantly  nasal.  But  the  scene  was  one  which  must 
live  in  the  memory.  The  great  church,  ablaze  with  candles  ; 
the  dense  throng  of  devout  worshippers  in  their  tattered 
blankets  and  worn  rebosas ; the  glittering  gold  ornaments 
on  the  altar,  with  its  wealth  of  floral  decorations,  above 
which  hung  the  sacred  tilma  with  its  gorgeous  crown ; the 
regal  pomp  of  the  clerics  standing  grouped  within  the  glitter 
of  the  solid  silver  chancel  rail;  the  clouds  of  incense, — all 
made  such  a scene  as  is  scarcely  to  be  described. 

While  we  were  viewing  the  interior  of  the  church,  we 
observed  many  Indians  squirming  on  the  tiled  floor,  push- 
ing and  struggling  round  small  squares  of  crystal  glass. 
At  first  they  appeared  to  be  searching  for  something,  and  I 
thought  they  must  be  scrambling  for  coins  which  had  been 
thrown  to  them  by  visitors.  But  on  approaching  nearer, 
the  small  squares  of  glass  proved  to  contain  saintly  relics 


122 


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of  some  kind.  The  Indians,  both  men  and  women,  kissed 
the  glass  repeatedly,  rubbed  their  hands  and  faces  on  it, 
and  some  laid  their  babies  on  it,  all  the  while  uttering  pious 
ejaculations  in  Spanish  and  Indian.  It  was  a wild,  weird 
scene.  There  were  several  squares  of  glass  set  in  the  tiled 
floor  in  different  parts  of  the  church,  and  each  had  its  mass 
of  Indians  squirming  and  struggling  around  it.  Many  of 
the  devotees  were  suffering  from  bodily  ailments  for  which 
they  sought  a miraculous  cure.  In  some  parts  of  the  church 
silver  feet,  arms  and  legs  of  miniature  size  are  displayed 
on  black  cloth  panels,  having  been  offered  by  afflicted 
pilgrims  who  have  been  restored. 

It  is  estimated  that  over  forty  thousand  Indians  attend 
the  Guadalupe  celebration  every  year.  This  means  a 
great  harvest  for  the  railways,  which  run  special  excursion 
trains  from  all  parts  of  Mexico.  Pilgrims  are  coming,  how- 
ever, at  all  times  of  the  year,  for  Guadalupe  is  the  Mecca 
of  the  poor  Indian,  and  he  who  has  seen  the  sacred  shrine 
is  ever  an  object  of  envy. 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 

In  Mexico  City  a visitor  sees  Mexican  social  life  scarcely 
at  its  best,  if  he  is  anxious  to  learn  something  of  the  real 
manners  and  customs  of  the  people.  For  the  capital  is  not 
truly  Mexico  — at  any  rate,  so  far  as  the  richer  classes  are 
concerned.  It  is  a city  of  motley  civilizations;  and  in 
fashionable  circles  one  finds  a great  deal  of  Madrid,  a little 
of  Paris  and  slight  infusions  of  London  and  New  York. 
Still  all  this  is  very  superficial,  and  if  the  stranger  has  the 
good  fortune  to  break  through  the  adamantine  barrier  of 
etiquette,  prejudice  and  precedent  which  stifle  social  inter- 
course among  well-born  Mexicans,  he  will  be  surprised  to 
find  how  thin  is  the  veneer  of  culture,  and  how  much  of 
seventeenth-century  Spanish  custom  still  survives  in  the 
daily  lives  of  the  owners  of  twentieth-century  motor-cars, 
and  among  women  who  wear  the  latest  Parisian  fashions. 

Owing  her  civilization  to  Spain  it  is,  of  course,  natural 
that  Mexico  should  be  largely  governed  by  Spanish  social 
ideas;  but  the  curious  fact  is  that  many  customs  long  ago 
discarded  in  Spain  are  still  observed  in  Spain’s  former  col- 
ony. Women  are  still  kept  jealously  guarded  from  the 
outer  world;  strangers  are  rarely  admitted  to  the  family 
circle ; and  the  whole  social  system  is  hedged  in  by  as  many 
precautions  as  a Chinese  mandarin  adopts  to  guard  his 
household  against  the  evil  influence  of  the  “foreign  devils.” 

High  society  in  the  capital  is  largely  a replica  of  Spanish 
society,  but  is  far  more  exclusive  and  old-fashioned  than 

123 


124 


MEXICO 


that  of  Madrid.  It  is  composed,  for  the  most  part,  of  those 
families  who  have  been  rich  for  generations,  who  own  huge 
estates;  and  besides  these  are  many  of  the  higher  govern- 
ment officials,  successful  lawyers  and  other  professional 
men.  The  majority  of  these  people  are  of  pure  Spanish 
descent,  or  represent  French  and  Italian  ancestry. 

To  any  one  familiar  with  the  life  of  London,  Paris  or  New 
York,  society  in  the  Mexican  capital  appears  extremely 
dull.  Dances,  musicales  and  other  social  entertainments 
seldom  take  place,  and  it  is  quite  unusual  for  people  to  dine 
in  parties  at  fashionable  restaurants.  Such  recreations  as 
golfing  and  tennis  are  absolutely  unknown  to  the  fashion- 
able Mexican  woman.  The  chief  amusements  of  the  upper 
classes  are  mostly  limited  to  driving  and  family  dinner 
parties,  which  are  all  very  proper,  very  unexciting  and 
must  become  very  boring.  If  a stranger  is  invited  to  a 
meal,  it  is  usually  to  luncheon,  a heavy,  full-course  repast, 
served  at  one  o’clock,  followed  by  coffee  and  cigarettes, 
served  in  the  drawing-room.  Chocolate,  a favorite  bever- 
age, is  also  often  served,  being  made  very  thick,  and  ac- 
companied with  rich  cakes. 

There  are  some  palatial  houses  in  the  capital,  many  of 
them  situated  in  frowzy  residential  districts  which  are 
being  rapidly  transformed  into  business  centres.  Shabby 
and  unattractive  on  the  outside,  they  are  often  richly  fur- 
nished within,  and  abound  in  wonderful  old  furniture, 
bric-a-brac  and  works  of  art.  In  recent  years  some 
wealthy  people  have  built  handsome  houses  of  French  de- 
sign in  the  new  residential  quarters,  notably  in  and  about 
the  Paseo  de  la  Reforma,  these  mansions  being  also  dec- 
orated and  furnished  in  modern  French  style.  Hardly 
any  of  the  houses,  old  or  new,  are  equipped  with  fireplaces 
or  other  systems  of  heating,  and  on  cold  days  are  far  from 
comfortable.  In  the  old  houses  there  are  spacious  patios, 


CHURCH  OF  GUADALUPE. 
Photographed  at  the  time  of  the  great  celebration. 


t-r. 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


125 


open  to  the  sky,  and  in  these  meals  are  often  served,  even 
in  the  winter  time,  when  the  temperature  occasionally 
falls  below  fifty  degrees,  and  a good  blazing  fire  would  be 
welcome. 

Few  Mexican  women  are  domesticated,  and  everything 
is  left  to  the  servants ; for  the  lady  of  the  house  would  con- 
sider it  disgraceful  to  do  anything  or  to  see  to  anything 
herself.  This  has  a most  deplorable  result  upon  domestic 
arrangements,  and  even  has  the  effect  of  deteriorating  the 
value  of  some  of  the  ancient  plate  and  china,  which  are  treas- 
ured possessions  of  the  wealthier  families.  Left  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  untrained  and  badly  managed  servants, 
they  get  tarnished  and  broken,  lost  or  stolen.  The  care 
which  an  American  or  English  woman  will  lavish  upon  the 
decoration  of  her  dinner-table  is  inconceivable  to  Mexican 
women.  Thus,  to  save  themselves  trouble  in  a land  which 
is  one  large  hothouse,  they  generally  decorate  their  rooms 
with  artificial  flowers. 

Many  Mexican  women  of  the  fashionable  class  have  been 
educated  in  French  convents,  and  owing  to  this,  French  is 
very  generally  spoken  in  society  circles.  On  the  other 
hand,  many  of  the  younger  men  have  been  to  English  schools, 
and  some  of  them  have  been  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge. 
They  have  thus  acquired  strong  British  sympathies,  which 
they  show  by  getting  their  clothes  from  London,  and  intro- 
ducing various  English  customs,  such  as  afternoon  tea, 
which  is  popularly  known  as  ^^5  o’clock,”  Some  of  the 
wealthy  families,  too,  employ  English  governesses,  and  it 
has  become  quite  a fad  among  fashionable  folk  to  have 
English  coachmen.  A knowledge  of  English  is  thus  be- 
coming much  more  general  among  the  upper  classes.  Many 
members  of  the  Mexican  smart  set,  too,  visit  New  York 
and  Washington  during  the  social  season,  and  have  in  this 
way  acquired  a few  American  ideas. 


126 


MEXICO 


Children  are  brought  up  in  much  the  same  way  as  in 
Spain,  but  are  kept  somewhat  more  secluded  from  the  out- 
side world,  this  being  especially  so  in  the  case  of  the  girls. 
In  the  household,  however,  as  visitors  are  mostly  intimate 
friends  and  relations,  the  youthful  members  of  the  family 
enjoy  great  freedom,  and  the  system  of  confining  them  in 
nurseries  or  schoolrooms  is  not  generally  common. 

Suspicion  of  strangers,  as  already  remarked,  is  the  in- 
variable rule  among  the  wealthy  classes  in  Mexico,  and  one 
must  know  a Mexican  for  a long  time  before  being  granted 
the  privilege  of  entering  his  household  as  a guest.  Once 
admitted,  however,  they  are  found  to  be  the  most  charming 
hosts  in  the  world.  Nothing  is  too  much  trouble  for  them 
once  they  adopt  you  as  a friend.  When  visiting  a country 
house,  your  host  will  think  nothing  of  riding  many  miles 
with  you  over  rough  roads  on  your  leaving,  simply  as  a 
mark  of  esteem. 

Mexicans,  in  fact,  are  full  of  Latin  enthusiasm;  their 
southern  blood  is  shown  by  their  animated  gestures  in 
conversation,  and  by  their  flow  of  complimentary  expres- 
sions which  are  never  meant.  They  take  sudden  fancies 
for  persons  and  things,  gush  over  them  for  a time,  and  then 
quickly  forget  them.  For  this  they  must  be  forgiven,  as 
it  is  simply  a matter  of  racial  temperament. 

Despite  the  restrictions  on  society  in  the  capital,  there 
are  many  delightful  people  among  the  higher  classes,  who 
always  take  a foremost  part  in  entertaining  visiting  for- 
eigners. The  President  and  his  wife  are  usually  the  nomi- 
nal heads  of  society,  and  preside  at  a number  of  interesting 
functions  during  the  winter  season.  Another  distinguished 
member  of  the  official  circle  is  the  Governor  of  the  Federal 
District  and  Mayor.  This  post  was  formerly  held  by  Senor 
Landa  y Escandon,  a wealthy  man  and  principal  represen- 
tative of  the  wealthy  Escandon  family,  who  had  a beautiful 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


127 


house  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  He  spoke  English 
fluently,  having  been  educated  in  England.  Another 
popular  host  was  Senor  Limantour,  former  Minister  of 
Finance,  who  was  of  French  descent  and  a man  of  great 
culture. 

An  important  element  in  the  social  life  of  the  city  is 
the  diplomatic  corps,  which  is  quite  large,  there  being  some 
twenty-seven  duly  accredited  representatives  of  foreign 
powers,  including  those  of  Russia  and  Japan.  A great 
deal  of  entertaining  is  done  by  the  diplomats,  and  especially 
by  the  Spanish,  German  and  Russian  ministers.  The 
British  government,  at  the  present  time,  is  represented  by 
Sir  Lionel  Carden,  whose  official  residence  in  the  Colon  ia 
Cuauhtemoc  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city.  Sir  Lionel, 
who  was  appointed  after  the  retirement  of  President  Diaz, 
has  had  over  twenty  years’  experience  as  a diplomat  in 
South  America.  He  thoroughly  understands  Spanish- 
American  methods,  and  he  speaks  Spanish  fluently. 
Among  British  residents  he  is  deservedly  popular,  and  he 
has  done  much  to  assist  British  commercial  interests  in  the 
Republic.  The  United  States,  at  present,  is  represented 
by  Mr.  O’Shaughnessy,  charge  d’affaires.  Mr.  Henry  Lane 
Wilson,  the  former  American  representative,  and  who 
retired  with  the  advent  of  the  present  Democratic  adminis- 
tration, ranked  first  among  the  members  of  the  diplomatic 
corps,  as  he  alone  was  accredited  as  an  ambassador. 

Among  the  higher  classes  art  and  literature  are  keenly 
appreciated,  and  several  painters  and  authors  of  Mexican 
origin  are  famous  outside  their  own  country.  Mexico  has 
produced  many  writers,  some  of  considerable  eminence. 
Perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  these  were  the  native  Ind- 
ians, Ixtlilxochitli,  Tezozomoc  and  Nitzahualcoyotl,  who 
lived  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest  and  chronicled  the  glories 
of  their  ancestors  in  Spanish  prose  and  poetry.  Verse  has 


128 


MEXICO 


always  played  an  important  part  in  Mexican  literature. 
The  chief  modern  poets  are  Justo  Sierra,  Manuel  Flores, 
Juan  de  Dios  Pesa  (known  as  the  Mexican  Longfellow) 
and  Jose  Peon  y Contras.  Among  the  novelists  are  Senor 
Irenio  Paz,  editor  and  novelist,  whose  stories  are  valuable 
for  the  pen  pictures  of  Mexican  life  which  they  present,  and 
Vincent  Piva  Palacio,  whose  works  are  noted  for  the  ele- 
gance and  purity  of  their  style.  Senor  Mariscal,  Minister 
of  Foreign  Affairs,  is  also  a well-known  writer,  and  has 
translated  into  Spanish  the  works  of  several  well-known 
American  writers.  Some  Mexican  plays  and  books  of  verse 
have  been  widely  read  in  Spanish-speaking  countries,  but 
as  yet  there  have  been  no  translations  into  English.  The 
Mexican  government  does  much  to  foster  literary  talent, 
and  a deserving  writer  is  certain  of  official  patronage.  As- 
sistance is  also  given  to  art  students,  over  two  hundred 
prominent  young  artists  and  sculptors  having  been  pen- 
sioned and  sent  abroad  to  pursue  their  studies.  Among 
the  artists  of  national  repute  are  Senores  Leandro  Izaguirre, 
Ramos  Martinez  and  Alberto  Fuster,  who  studied  in  Rome 
and  Florence  and  have  produced  some  notable  works. 
Senor  Juan  Telles  Toledo  is  the  foremost  Mexican  portrait 
painter. 

While  on  the  subject  of  literature,  a few  words  about 
Spanish  as  spoken  in  Mexico  may  be  of  interest.  Most 
of  the  Spaniards  who  colonized  the  country  came  from  An- 
dalusia, and  the  Spanish  commonly  spoken  to-day  in  Mexico 
is  not  exactly  classical  or  Castilian.  For  example,  the  true 
Spaniard  pronounces  the  word  ^^cielo'^  (heaven)  as  the- 
aylo,  whereas  the  Mexican  gives  the  c its  English  value,  and 
never  the  sound  as  is  given  in  this  and  other  words  in 
Spain.  The  Mexicans  have  another  peculiarity  of  speech. 
When  asking  a question,  they  invariably  end  the  sentence 
with  ^‘no.’’  For  instance,  a man  will  ask,  ^^Are  you  com- 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


129 


ing  out,  no?’^  A shopkeeper  says,  you  buy  some- 

thing to-day,  no?’^  This  strikes  on  the  American  ear  as 
very  strange.  Many  Spanish  words,  too,  have  been  altered. 
Thus,  manteca,  meaning  butter”  in  Spain,  has  been 
changed  in  Mexico  into  mantequilla.  A large  number 
of  Indian  words  have  also  been  incorporated  in  the  language, 
such  as  sarape,  a blanket,  for  which  in  Spain  the  word 

manta”  is  used. 

People  of  wealth  in  the  capital  are  taking  a keen  interest 
in  motoring,  and  large  numbers  of  cars,  mostly  American 
makes,  are  seen  in  the  streets.  It  is  due  to  the  influence 
of  these  motor  enthusiasts  that  the  suburban  roads  have 
of  late  been  greatly  improved.  While  I was  in  the  city, 
a new  motor  road  was  completed  to  San  Angel,  a pictur- 
esque and  beautiful  suburb  a mile  or  two  out,  where  many 
wealthy  citizens  have  their  houses  standing  among  gardens 
of  flowers  and  palms.  The  inauguration  was  marked 
by  a military  procession,  the  firing  of  cannon,  a display  of 
fireworks;  school  children  sang  hymns  and  scattered 
flowers,  and  the  governor  of  the  Federal  District,  an  en- 
thusiastic motorist,  made  a stirring  speech.  In  San  Angel 
is  a popular  motoring  resort  — a beautiful  old  Spanish 
mansion  — which  has  been  transformed  into  a luxurious 
hotel,  furnished  in  a style  appropriate  to  its  ancient  char- 
acter and  with  all  its  quaintness  preserved.  On  the  day 
of  the  celebration,  I lunched  with  some  motoring  friends  in 
the  spacious  patio,  filled  with  tropical  flowers  and  shrubbery, 
where  a fountain  tinkled  merrily,  and  numerous  singing 
birds  soothed  us  into  a feeling  of  man  ana. 

Another  motor  road  has  been  laid  and  opened  to  Toluca, 
a curious  old  town  with  a population  of  twenty-five  thou- 
sand and  a reputation  for  brewing  the  best  beer  in  Mexico. 
The  principal  church  there  was  built  in  1585,  and  is  remark- 
able as  containing  the  first  church  organ  made  in  the  New 


130 


MEXICO 


World.  The  trip  to  Toluca  is  full  of  interest^  the  road  com- 
manding views  of  some  fine  mountain  scenery. 

Mexicans  of  all  classes,  especially  in  the  country  dis- 
tricts, are  born  horsemen,  and  are  much  interested  in  horse- 
racing. The  races  in  the  capital,  however,  are  very  dif- 
ferent from  those  held  in  the  United  States.  Ladies  rarely 
attend  them,  and  as  they  are  not  of  a really  public  char- 
acter, the  crowds  of  spectators,  the  bookmakers  and  other 
followers  of  the  turf  seen  at  American  races  are  never  in 
evidence.  There  is  a good  track  near  Mexico  City  owned 
by  the  Jockey  Club,  but  owing  to  the  high  altitude,  which 
affects  the  breathing  of  animals  as  well  as  human  beings, 
it  is  only  about  half  the  length  of  an  American  track,  the 
horses  being  unable  to  cover  a greater  distance.  As  a rule, 
the  horses  are  small  and  wiry,  but  wonderfully  fast  and 
enduring. 

Motoring  and  horse-racing  do  something  towards  reliev- 
ing the  dulness  of  life  in  the  capital ; but  dull  as  it  is,  the 
life  of  the  upper  classes  seems  positively  gay  in  comparison 
with  the  humdrum  existence  of  people  lower  down  in  the 
social  scale.  From  an  American  point  of  view,  the  social 
life  of  the  Mexican  middle  classes  certainly  seems  unbear- 
abl3^  monotonous,  those  recreations  upon  which  the  mass 
of  the  people  in  New  York,  for  instance,  so  largely  depend, 
such  as  out-door  sports,  exhibitions  and  music  halls,  being 
altogether  unknown,  while  the  cheaper  theatres  are  patron- 
ized chiefly  by  men. 

There  are,  strange  to  say,  no  music-halls,  in  the  strict 
sense,  in  Mexico  City.  Latterly,  however,  there  has  been 
an  outburst  of  cinematograph  shows  which  advertise  their 
attractions  by  electric  signs  and  seem  to  do  a roaring  busi- 
ness. About  five  moving-picture  exhibitions  are  given 
every  hour,  each  of  these  being  called  a tanda.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  a tanda  a collector  passes  through  the  hall  and 


TYPICAL  MEXICAN  WOMEN  OF  THE  UPPER  CLASS. 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  CHILDREN. 

Youthful  Mexican  Indians  whom  the  government  is  educating. 
(See  page  148.) 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


131 


demands  payment  for  the  next.  This  system  is  also  fol- 
lowed in  most  Mexican  theatres,  although  it  applies  more 
particularly  to  the  cheaper  and  smaller  houses.  In  these 
places,  people  simply  pay  for  an  act,  and  then  again  for  the 
next  if  they  wish  to  remain.  In  all  the  theatres,  between 
the  acts,  the  men,  with  their  hats  on,  stand  up  and  survey 
the  audience ; and  more  curiously  still,  even  the  fashionable 
women  rise  from  their  seats  and  glance  round  the  house 
through  their  lorgnettes. 

The  three  chief  theatres  in  the  capital  are  the  Teatro 
Principale,  chiefly  reserved  for  melodrama  and  vaudeville 
performances ; the  Renacimiento,  which  holds  an  audience 
of  two  thousand,  where  are  presented  Italian  and  French 
opera  as  well  as  the  masterpieces  of  Mexican  and  Spanish 
dramatists;  and  lastly  the  Arbeu,  reserved  for  concerts 
and  dramatic  performances.  The  Salon  de  Conciertos  is  a 
concert  hall  with  a fine  auditorium,  while  the  Circo  Teatro 
Orrin  is  a kind  of  hippodrome.  When  gala  performances 
are  given,  the  Circo  is  splendidly  adorned  with  flowers 
and  flags,  bouquets  and  button-holes  being  presented  to 
the  audience.  The  President  has  a box,  and  on  state 
occasions  is  always  present. 

Mexicans  are  very  fond  of  music,  and  in  nearly  every 
house  of  the  wealthy  classes  you  find  a good  piano,  some- 
times of  excellent  make.  Many  ladies  play  well  and  sym- 
pathetically, but  they  do  not  often  sing.  The  regimental 
bands  are  really  excellent,  and  every  town  has  its  plaza 
centred  with  a bandstand,  where  music  is  heard  every  night. 
In  the  interior  of  Mexico  guitars,  mandolins  and  violins 
are  very  common,  as  also  crudely  formed  harps  of  an  ancient 
pattern.  The  Indian  music  is  usually  of  a very  melancholy 
description,  which  is  increased  by  the  fact  that  the  natives 
chant  or  rather  howl  their  choruses  in  a style  far  from 
musical.  There  are,  however,  several  pretty  and  stirring 


132 


MEXICO 


songs  by  native  composers;  while  the  Mexican  national 
anthem  is  truly  inspiring,  and  such  songs  as  ^‘La  Golon- 
drina”  (The  Swallow),  the  Mexican  ^^Home  Sweet  Home,’^ 
are  irresistibly  sweet. 

Until  recently,  it  was  the  custom,  even  in  large  cities, 
for  people  of  the  upper  class  to  promenade  in  the  inner 
circle  of  the  Plaza  from  half-past  seven  to  half-past  eight 
in  the 'evening,  while  the  band  was  playing,  the  ladies  walk- 
ing two  or  three  abreast,  strolling  round  and  round  in  one 
direction,  while  the  men  walked  in  the  other.  As  they 
passed,  greetings  would  be  exchanged,  such  as,  ^^Adios, 
senor”  and  ^^Adios,  senorita”  (adios  being  a greeting  as 
well  as  a farewell).  Young  men  and  women  thus  had  a 
chance  to  see  each  other  and  start  flirtations.  The  peons, 
the  blanketed  masses,  also  promenaded  in  the  Plaza;  but 
they  always  kept  to  the  outer  circle,  the  line  between  the 
two  classes  being  distinctly  kept.  If  a peon  had  dared  to 
trespass  in  the  inner  circle,  he  would  have  been  ejected 
by  the  police.  Americans  and  other  foreigners  walked,  of 
course,  on  the  inner  path. 

Owing  to  the  enormous  influx  of  foreigners,  many  of 
them  objectionable  characters  who  haunted  the  plazas  at 
night,  parents  and  husbands  found  it  undesirable  to  prome- 
nade in  this  public  fashion,  and  it  has  been  almost  discon- 
tinued in  most  of  the  cities.  When  the  band  plays  nowa- 
days in  the  larger  towns,  people  of  the  wealthy  classes  ride 
round  the  Plaza  in  their  carriages,  while  the  middle-class 
women  stay  at  home. 

In  the  matter  of  politeness  and  ceremonial,  all  classes  of 
Mexicans  are  thoroughly  Spanish.  Imitation  of  Spain  is 
also  noticeable  in  the  habit  of  procrastination;  for  Mexico 
is  essentially  the  land  of  manana — to-morrow.  Time  is 
idled  away,  and  no  man  can  be  depended  upon  to  turn  up 
at  an  appointed  hour,  punctuality  being  regarded  as  the 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


133 


vice  of  a bore.  Social  calls  often  last  hours,  and  the  longer 
you  stretch  them  out  the  more  polite  you  are  deemed.  The 
foreigners  who  get  on  in  Mexico  are  those  who  have  patience 
with  these  native  customs.  Hustling  Americans  are  pre- 
doomed to  failure. 

Mexicans  of  the  upper  class  have  a pretty  way  of  telling 
you  that  their  house  is  yours  — ^^Su  casa  es  numero,’^ 
meaning  literally,  Your  house  is  number  — giving  their 
address.  Of  course  this  is  a mere  manner  of  speaking,  and 
must  not  be  regarded  as  a serious  invitation. 

A story  is  told  of  a ''wild  Western  ’’  American  who,  visit- 
ing the  capital,  was  casually  introduced  in  the  street  to  a 
Mexican  senor  who  extended  to  him  the  formal  invitation. 
Later  in  the  day,  when  the  Mexican  returned  to  his  home, 
he  was  amazed  to  find  the  American  seated  in  his  drawing- 
room in  his  best  chair,  his  feet  perched  on  another,  his 
portmanteau  at  his  side,  puffing  a big  cigar,  and  at  being 
greeted  with  a boisterous,  "Wal,  Colonel,  IVe  come.’’ 
History  does  not  relate  what  the  Mexican  said  or  did. 

Men  of  all  classes  in  Mexico  lift  their  hats  on  meeting, 
and  the  laconic  American  how-d’ye-do  is  not  at  all  to  the 
taste  of  the  Mexican,  who  will  stop  to  inquire  of  his  friend 
as  to  the  health  of  his  wife,  children  and  household,  name 
by  name.  The  poorest  Indian  is  just  as  polite.  I was 
once  fishing  in  a lake  with  a poor  peon,  who  rowed  my 
boat  and  baited  my  hook.  We  happened  to  go  ashore  and 
walked  along  the  beach,  where  we  met  a tattered,  bare-legged 
Indian  hauling  in  a net,  assisted  by  his  wife.  Taking  off 
his  battered  old  hat,  my  boatman  said,  "Buenas  noches, 
senor”  (Good  evening,  sir).  The  other  Indian  solemnly 
returned  his  greeting,  and  then  with  a sweep  of  his  hat  to 
the  woman,  he  said,  " A los  pies  de  usted,  sefiora  ” (At  your 
feet,  lady).  The  whole  act  was  marked  by  a grace  and 
ease  of  manner  which  would  have  done  honor  to  a cavalier. 


134 


MEXICO 


The  wrinkled  Indian  dame,  despite  her  tattered  garments, 
was  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  with  the  gracious  manner 
of  a grande  dame  replied,  ^^Sus  palabras,  senor,  son  agra- 
dables’^  (Your  words,  sir,  are  sweet  to  the  ear).  It  all 
meant  nothing,  but  it  was  very  wonderful.  I asked  my 
Indian  companion  his  name,  and  with  a bow  he  gave  it 
to  me,  adding,  ^^Su  servidor’’  (Your  servant).  Even  the 
lowliest  peasant  will  not  fail  to  say  ^Ton  permiso''  (With 
your  permission),  if  he  must  pass  another  person,  even  as 
lowly. 

All  Mexicans  are  the  slaves  of  habit.  If  anything  is  not 
customary,  it  cannot  be  right  or  worth  considering.  Thus, 
if  a servant  were  asked  to  scrub  the  floor  when  her  usual 
duty  was  to  cook,  she  would  politely  refuse,  with  the  phrase, 
'^No  es  costumbre”  (It  is  not  the  custom).  Foreigners 
in  Mexico  are  constantly  coming  in  conflict  with  their  peon 
servants  on  this  point,  and  it  is  quite  difficult  for  the  Euro- 
pean or  American  to  realize  that  these  humble  servants 
would  far  rather  lose  their  situations  than  do  anything, 
however  trivial,  contrary  to  their  established  custom. 

It  is  natural  enough  that  the  matter-of-fact,  prosaic  way 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon  should  jar  most  unpleasantly  on  such 
people.  Americans  of  the  crude,  ^^wild  Western’’  type 
are  the  people  who  horrify  the  Mexicans  most.  They  slap 
the  ceremonious  natives  on  the  back  after  a slight  acquaint- 
ance and  interlard  their  conversation  with  strings  of  oaths. 
Mexicans  look  upon  men  of  this  kind  as  we  should  regard 
the  average  New  York  ^ Hough.” 

A Canadian  business  man  told  me  an  amusing  story 
illustrating  this  point.  He  was  calling  one  day,  he  said, 
on  the  Jefe  Politico  in  a Mexican  town,  the  Jefe  (pro- 
nounced hay  fay)  being  an  important  government  official. 
This  particular  Jefe  appeared  to  be  laboring  under  sup- 
pressed excitement  and  said,  at  last,  ^Wou  must  excuse 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


135 


me  this  morning,  senor,  if  I am  deprived  of  your  delightful 
company  sooner  than  I wish;  but  I am  expecting  a visit 
from  un  Americano  muy  distinguido  (a  very  distinguished 
American).”  The  slovenly  sentry,  marching  up  and  down 
before  the  official  residence,  seemed  to  think  that  something 
important  was  going  to  happen;  for  he  straightened  him- 
self up,  and  kept  looking  down  the  street  as  if  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  distinguished  visitor.  The  Canadian  delib- 
erately prolonged  his  visit,  being  curious  to  have  a look  at 
this  wonderful  person,  who,  he  concluded,  must  be  a Pier- 
pont  Morgan  at  least.  Suddenly  the  door  was  darkened, 
and  a grizzled  Western  American,  with  his  hat  on  his  head, 
looked  in  and  drawled  out,  ^^Say,  which  of  you  fellows  is 
the^Jeffy’?” 

If  you  express  admiration  for  any  article  in  a house, 
the  polite  Mexican  will  take  it  up  and  say,  ^Mt  is  at  your 
disposal,  senor,”  and  insist  on  your  accepting  it.  You 
are,  of  course,  supposed  to  refuse,  firmly  and  politely,  say- 
ing, ^^No,  no,  senor,  many  thanks,  but  it  could  not  possibly 
be  in  better  hands.”  I was  told  of  a Western  mining  man, 
however,  who  took  a mean  advantage  of  this  venerable 
custom. 

He  had  done  some  business  wdth  a wealthy  Mexican  in 
one  of  the  large  towns,  and  had  spent  quite  a lot  of  money 
in  entertaining  him,  giving  him  dinners,  taking  him  on 
automobile  drives,  and  giving  him  a trip  in  a private  rail- 
way car.  The  Mexican,  who  was  extremely  parsimonious, 
did  not  return  any  of  these  little  attentions.  On  the  day 
he  was  leaving,  the  American  called  at  the  Mexican’s  house, 
and  there  saw  a fine  collection  of  golden  Aztec  relics  which 
had  been  dug  up  in  that  part  of  the  country.  He  expressed 
unbounded  admiration  for  them.  The  Mexican  imme- 
diately summoned  his  man-servant  and  said,  ^'Juan,  the 
American  senor  has  honored  me  by  admiring  these  things. 


136 


MEXICO 


Pack  them  up  and  send  them  to  his  hotel  at  once.’’  ''No, 
no,  senor,”  exclaimed  the  Westerner,  sweeping  the  curios 
into  a bag  that  he  carried,  "don’t  put  yourself  to  all  that 
trouble.  I’ll  take  ’em  along  with  me  right  now.”  Forth- 
with he  said  good-by  and  departed  with  the  whole  col- 
lection, leaving  its  late  owner  wild  with  rage.  A friend 
of  the  Westerner,  on  hearing  the  story,  said,  "But  didn’t 
you  know  that  you  were  not  supposed  to  accept  those  things 
but  politely  refuse  them  ?”  " Of  course  I knew,”  answered 

the  other,  "but  I wanted  to  get  even,  so  I simply  called  his 
bluff.” 

With  the  march  of  progress  the  cost  of  living  in  Mexico 
is  gradually  becoming  much  higher.  Ten  years  ago  a 
man  with  a small  salary  could  get  a house  in  the  capital, 
with  four  rooms  and  a kitchen,  for  $12.50  a month;  but 
to-day  the  rental  of  such  a house  ranges  from  $25  to  $75. 
Nowadays,  two  small  rooms  and  a kitchen  will  cost  at  least 
$12  a month,  while  from  $60  to  $100  must  be  paid  for  a 
small  flat  or  house  of  the  better  class.  In  like  manner  the 
price  of  many  foodstuffs  has  greatly  increased.  It  is 
true  that  fruit,  vegetables,  eggs  and  milk  are,  as  a rule, 
about  the  same  price  as  in  New  York;  but  meat  is  dear, — 
at  any  rate,  good  meat,  — and  all  imported  articles  are 
abnormally  costly.  This,  as  already  observed,  is  due  to  the 
suicidally  high  protective  tariff. 

The  poor  of  Mexico  City  herd  together  in  foul  tenements 
in  the  slum  districts,  these  dwellings,  called  viviendas, 
being  usually  of  one  story  and  built  round  a central  patio. 
Two,  three  and  even  four  families  are  often  crowded  to- 
gether in  a single  room,  the  cheapest  of  these  — inhabited 
mostly  by  working  people  of  the  poorest  class  — costing 
about  a dollar  and  a half  a month.  These  horrible  places, 
reeking  with  filth  and  infested  with  vermin,  look  more  like 
pig-pens  than  the  dwelling-places  of  human  beings.  With 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


137 


such  conditions  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  typhus  and  other 
diseases  extremely  prevalent  in  the  capital. 

In  some  of  the  viviendas  women  and  children  sleep  on 
old  sacking  on  narrow  boards,  which  have  served  for  tables 
during  the  day,  supported  by  piles  of  stones.  The  men  sleep 
under  their  blankets,  which  they  use  as  cloaks  in  the  day- 
time. It  is  quite  common  for  animals,  dogs,  cats,  chickens 
and  sometimes  even  a pig  or  a donkey,  to  sleep  among  the 
tenants  of  these  dreadful  abodes.  In  the  centre  of  the  patio 
is  a water-tank,  generally  filthy,  from  which  water  for  drink- 
ing and  cooking  is  taken.  No  one  living  under  these  con- 
ditions could  escape  typhoid. 

The  government  is  doing  everything  in  its  power  to  im- 
prove matters,  but  the  work  is  necessarily  slow,  as  the  bulk 
of  the  poorer  population  of  the  capital  are  Indians,  who 
greatly  resent  any  sanitary  reforms.  Some  time  ago,  when 
there  was  a serious  outbreak  of  typhus.  President  Diaz 
ordered  that  every  peon  in  the  city  must  take  a bath  at 
least  once  a week.  As  the  Indian  masses  regard  water 
with  aversion  and  soap  with  horror,  this  cruel  decree  almost 
led  to  riots.  Police  officers  were  compelled  to  go  from 
house  to  house  and  literally  drag  the  protesting  peons  to 
the  public  wash-houses,  their  victims  the  while  struggling, 
kicking  and  shouting  furiously,  “No  jabon ! no  jabon ! ’’ 
(No  soap ! no  soap  !) 

A better  class  of  poor  people  occupy  separate  houses, 
or  rather  huts,  on  the  city’s  outskirts.  These  are  usually 
nothing  more  than  wretched  hovels  of  adobe  such  as  are 
found  in  the  country  districts,  and  contain  hardly  any 
furniture.  They  are  generally  surrounded  with  a broken- 
down  stone  wall  and  a hedge  of  tall,  straight  cactus.  The 
tenants  spend  most  of  their  time  outside  their  doors,  and 
the  women  can  be  seen  making  tortillas  and  doing  the 
family  cooking  on  a crude  stove  at  the  threshold. 


138 


MEXICO 


The  fact  that  Mexico  is  a land  of  startling  contrasts  can 
nowhere  be  seen  more  perfectly  than  in  the  capital,  where 
almost  in  a street’s  lengiih  there  are  the  strangest  transitions 
from  civilization  to  barbarism.  I stood  in  San  Francisco 
Street  one  evening,  among  the  brilliantly  lighted  shops, 
watching  the  procession  of  carriages  with  their  fashionable 
occupants  going  by,  noticing,  on  every  side,  the  signs  of 
modern  luxury  and  progress.  From  this  lively  scene  a 
walk  of  less  than  a mile  in  the  direction  of  Guadalupe  took 
me  to  a quiet  road  lined  with  adobe  huts,  with  all  the  char- 
acteristics of  Indian  life,  much  the  same  as  it  was  when 
Cortes  landed.  Unkempt  Indian  women  were  patting 
tortillas  behind  the  cactus  hedge,  and  half-naked  children 
frolicked  among  the  goats  and  pigs.  Along  the  road  came 
a train  of  burros  laden  with  wood,  fruit  and  vegetables  for 
the  market,  driven  by  ragged  Indians  in  their  red  blankets. 
There  was  nothing  to  remind  me  that  I was  so  near  a great 
modern  city  until  suddenly  a big  automobile  came  whizzing 
along  the  road,  its  horn  tooting  gayly,  and  I was  recalled 
to  the  present  age. 

From  Indian  huts  to  city  restaurants  is  a sudden  tran- 
sition, but  being  typical  of  life  in  Mexico,  it  may  serve  as 
an  excuse  for  the  devoting  of  a few  words  at  this  point  to 
the  all-important  subject  of  eating  and  drinking.  This  is 
a subject,  in  fact,  in  which  the  average  man  in  the  Mexican 
capital  is  keenly  interested,  for  while  there  are  a legion  of 
restaurants  there,  very  few  of  them  are  really  good,  either 
in  regard  to  cooking  or  service.  The  best  are  a combina- 
tion of  French,  Spanish  and  Italian  establishments,  and  the 
charges  are  not  exorbitant.  Most  of  them  are  housed  in 
dingy  buildings,  and  have  no  external  attractions  for  the 
diner.  In  this  respect  nothing  could  be  m.ore  marked  than 
the  difference  between  Mexican  cities  and  those  of  other 
countries,  for,  with  the  sole  exception  of  the  Chapultepec 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


139 


Cafe,  there  are  none  of  those  very  ornate  establishments 
which  so  largely  add  to  the  charm  of  dining  out  in  most 
lands.  The  average  Mexican  restaurant  is,  in  fact,  very 
inferior.  A foreign  visitor  gives  first  one  and  then  another 
a trial,  returning  to  the  first  in  despair,  after  he  had  sworn 
never  to  darken  its  doors  again.  Many  men  of  moderate 
means  whom  I met  appeared  to  be  like  de  Soto  in  his  vain 
search  for  treasure,  forever  seeking,  but  never  finding,  a 
decent  meal. 

Of  the  few  restaurants  where  the  cooking  can  be  relied 
upon,  the  best  are  the  Cafe  de  Paris,  the  Cafe  de  la  Paix, 
Syl vain’s  and  the  Cafe  Chapultepec.  In  all  these  the  cooks 
are  French,  and  one  can  order  a dish  with  a quiet  mind  and 
the  certainty  that  it  will  be  eatable.  The  menu  cards  are 
usually  Spanish,  though  some  restaurant  proprietors,  as 
I have  said,  attempt  English  translations.  In  most  of  the 
large  establishments,  too,  the  head  waiters  usually  speak 
English. 

If  a stranger  is  content  to  embark  on  a course  of  Mexican 
food  and  can  stomach  the  highly  seasoned  dishes,  filled  with 
chilis  and  red  peppers,  he  can  get  satisfactory  meals  at  the 
Mexican  restaurants,  for  some  of  the  things  which  are  served 
are  piquant  and  excellent.  But  he  must  beware,  for  the 
dishes  have  a nomenclature  all  their  own,  and  one  can 
blunder  badly.  Therefore,  unless  the  head  waiter  can  ex- 
plain the  composition  of  the  various  strange  dishes,  the 
uninitiated  guest  is  in  danger  of  being  served  with  some  very 
unappetizing  messes,  reeking  with  grease  and  filled  with  red 
peppers,  chilis  and  other  fiery  condiments. 

Of  the  foods  most  popular  among  Mexicans  mention 
must  be  made  of  chili-con-carne  (chilis  with  minced  meat), 
which  is  very  palatable,  although  hot.  Tamales,  another 
favorite  dish,  are  made  of  chopped  meat,  highly  seasoned 
with  pepper  and  chilis,  wrapped  in  a corn  husk  and  boiled 


140 


MEXICO 


quickly.  Sometimes  a tortilla  is  used  as  a wrapping^  and 
the  tamale  is  cooked  in  boiling  fat.  Enchiladas  are  some- 
thing like  tamales,  but  are  seasoned  with  Mexican  cheese 
and  onions  and  soaked  in  chili  sauce.  The  native  bread, 
tortilla,  has  already  been  described.  Frijoles  (par  excel- 
lence the  Mexican  national  dish),  a vegetable  equivalent 
to  the  roast  beef  of  old  England,  are  black  beans  boiled, 
then  fried  in  lard  and  served  reeking  with  grease.  As  such 
cooking  is  quite  unsuited  for  a hot  climate,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising to  find  that  diseases  of  the  stomach  and  liver  are 
almost  universal  among  Mexicans.  At  the  cost  of  a few 
cents,  enough  frijoles  can  be  bought  to  feed  a family  for  a 
day.  Few  householders  furnish  their  servants  with  any 
other  food  than  tortillas  and  frijoles. 

Eggs  (huevos)  in  various  forms  are  served  at  every  meal, 
a plain  omelette  being  called  a tortilla  natural  or  tortilla 
de  huevos.  Cocidas  are  a concoction  of  potatoes  chopped 
in  small  pieces,  beetroot,  carrots,  small  pieces  of  meat, 
maize  and  cauliflower,  all  boiled  together.  A salad  of  cold 
sliced  tongue,  chopped  olives,  celery  and  lettuce,  with 
mayonnaise  dressing,  is  very  popular.  Stewed  or  roast 
chicken  served  with  rice,  highly  seasoned,  called  arroz  con 
polio,  figures  on  every  bill  of  fare. 

Roast  beef  is  served  in  every  style,  always  with  some 
highly  seasoned  sauce,  and  is  sometimes  actually  smothered 
with  raisins.  The  meats,  as  a rule,  are  fresh,  but  generally 
stringy  and  tough,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  grazing  is  poor, 
and  that  meat,  on  account  of  the  heat,  must  be  eaten  very 
fresh.  The  same  quality  is  noticeable  in  the  poultry,  which 
is  always  tough,  as  it  is  never  allowed  to  hang  long  enough. 
In  cutting  up  meat  the  butchers  never  disjoint  the  carcasses, 
but  cut  the  flesh  off  in  strips. 

Fresh  vegetables  are  not  obtainable  in  Mexican  hotels 
and  restaurants  as  largely  as  they  ought  to  be,  and  during 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


141 


the  winter  season  American  and  French  canned  vegetables 
are  chiefly  used.  There  is  no  excuse  for  this,  as  vegetables 
of  all  kinds  can  be  grown  the  year  round  in  most  parts  of 
Mexico.  On  the  other  hand,  fresh  fruits  are  plentiful, 
such  as  apples  and  peaches  from  the  temperate  zone,  and 
pineapples,  oranges  and  bananas  from  the  hot  country. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  fruits  is  the  aguacate,  which 
resembles  an  enormous  green  pear,  the  inside  of  which  is 
like  butter,  is  almost  tasteless,  and  is  frequently  used  as 
a natural  salad  dressing. 

Bread  and  rolls  are  invariably  good.  The  native  butter 
is  usually  uncolored  and  unsalted  and  has  very  little  flavor, 
but  is  only  served  in  the  best  establishments,  American 
butter  or  oleomargarine  being  more  extensively  used. 
Milk,  as  a rule,  is  rather  poor  and  watery,  but  an  excellent 
cream  cheese  is  made  in  some  parts  of  the  country. 

There  are  very  few  native  drinks  which  are  palatable 
to  foreigners.  The  ill-tasting  pulque  is  not  drunk  by  the 
better-class  Mexicans  or  served  in  the  restaurants.  French, 
Italian  and  Spanish  wines  and  German  beers  can  be  had 
at  most  of  the  better-class  establishments,  and  here  and 
there  the  order  ^^Cerveza  de  Milwaukee’’  will  be  under- 
stood. Some  very  fair  light  lager  beer,  brewed  by  German 
firms  at  Monterey  and  Toluca,  is  a very  popular  drink. 
There  are  also  several  native  mineral  waters,  of  which  the 
best  known  is  Topo  Chico,  derived  from  a spring  of  the  same 
name  near  Monterey.  The  indolence  of  the  Mexicans  is 
solely  to  blame  for  their  having  no  native  wines,  for  excel- 
lent grapes  will  grow  well  all  over  the  country.  This  is 
another  instance  of  the  Mexican  being  governed  by  habit. 
Wine-making  was  prohibited  by  the  Spaniards  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  wines  imported  from  the  mother  country, 
and  as  the  Mexican  has  not  made  wine  for  four  hundred 
years,  he  cannot  see  why  he  should  begin  now. 


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Of  course,  all  Mexicans  love  coffee,  but  as  a rule  the  coffee 
grown  and  served  in  Mexico  is  very  strong,  with  a drug- 
like bitterness,  partly  due  to  the  bean  being  too  much 
roasted. 

Service  in  Mexican  restaurants  is  almost  as  unsatisfactory 
as  the  food.  The  waiters,  mostly  swarthy  Indians,  dressed 
in  the  conventional  waiting  dress,  frequently  present  an 
amusing  resemblance  to  opera-bouffe  brigands,  and  seem 
quite  out  of  their  element.  Very  few  of  them  know  any 
English,  and  unless  a person  speaks  Spanish  very  well, 
they  do  not  understand  him.  From  my  experiences,  I 
became  convinced  that  most  of  the  Mexican  waiters  were 
recruited  from  institutions  for  the  feeble-minded.  If, 
for  instance,  I ordered  a steak  or  any  other  dish  which  took 
a little  time  to  cook,  and  wanted  soup  to  precede  it,  the 
waiter,  instead  of  serving  the  soup  just  before  the  steak, 
would  rush  off  and  bring  the  soup  immediately.  Twenty 
minutes  later,  when  my  appetite  was  all  destroyed  by  the 
soup,  he  would  appear  with  the  rest  of  the  meal.  I tried 
in  vain  to  induce  the  waiters  to  do  otherwise,  or  even  to 
serve  the  two  courses  together;  but  they  merely  shrugged 
their  shoulders  and  murmured,  “No,  senor,  no  es  costum- 
bre'^  (No,  sir,  it  is  not  the  custom). 

If  you  are  in  a hurry  to  catch  a train,  and  implore  the 
waiter  to  be  quick,  he  puts  his  thumb  and  forefinger  gin- 
gerly together  and  says,  “Un  momento,  senor,'’  as  if  a 
moment  were  a fragile  piece  of  spun-glass  and  he  was  afraid 
of  breaking  it.  Then  the  swarthy  villain  strolls  off  and  dis- 
appears for  nearly  an  hour.  That  is  costumbre. 

But  vengeance  sometimes  follows  fast  on  the  laggard 
footsteps  of  the  Mexican  waiter  and  turns  his  little  comedy 
into  an  unexpected  tragedy.  Even  while  I was  in  the  cap- 
ital, the  always  reliable  Mexican  Herald  published  the  fol- 
lowing item  in  its  news  columns : — 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


143 


In  the  Maison  de  la  Providencia,  at  Toluca,  yesterday, 
a hungry  guest  shot  Margarito  Lopez,  a waiter  of  the  estab- 
lishment, through  the  hand,  because  the  waiter  did  not 
answer  his  call  promptly.’^ 

This  little  gem  of  journalism  is  a fitting  introduction  to 
the  subject  of  newspaper  enterprise  in  Mexico,  which  is 
much  older  than  the  stranger  visiting  the  country  would 
at  first  sight  believe.  The  first  newspaper  indeed  was 
printed  as  long  ago  as  1693,  and  was  known  as  El  Mercurio 
Volante  or  Flying  Mercury.  Thenceforward  other  news- 
papers were  founded,  but  they  were  always  entirely  under 
the  thumb  of  the  government,  and  the  numbers  of  their 
readers  was  so  small  that  they  had  no  power  in  shaping 
policies  for  years  after  Mexican  independence  had  been 
declared.  To-day  there  are  many  newspapers  and  period- 
icals of  all  kinds  published  in  Mexico  City.  There  is,  how- 
ever, no  Mexican  yellow  press,  as  a Mexican  journalist  would 
never  dream  of  trespassing  upon  the  privacy  of  a family 
to  get  copy. 

When  General  Diaz  became  President  thirty  years  ago, 
such  newspapers  as  flourished  then  were  fairly  uncontrolled 
in  their  political  criticisms.  They  appealed  to  the  people 
much  as  do  the  French  radical  newspapers,  and  many  revo- 
lutions were  due  to  their  turbulent  editorials.  President 
Diaz  found  these  journals  a considerable  obstacle  to  the 
establishment  of  law  and  order.  By  his  direction,  some  of 
the  most  mischief-making  of  the  editors  were  arrested  and 
lodged  in  Belem  Prison,  a jail  reserved  for  the  lowest  type 
of  criminals.  After  a week  of  solitary  confinement  and  a 
diet  of  bread  and  water,  they  were  brought  before  the 
President.  ‘‘Now,  gentlemen,’’  said  he,  “what  do  you 
think  of  my  government?”  “Senor  Presidente,”  they 
replied,  “we  think  it  is  the  finest  government  on  the  face 
of  the  earth.”  “Just  continue  to  think  so,  gentlemen,”  said 


144 


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the  President,  ^^and  we  shall  get  along  splendidly/^  As 
the  editors  wisely  kept  on  ‘Hhinking  so/^  there  was  no  fur- 
ther trouble. 

To-day  the  libel  laws  are  very  severe,  and  the  govern-  ' 
ment  is  keen  in  suppressing  political  criticism  in  the  press. 
The  editors,  also  having  a wholesome  fear  of  Belem  Prison, 
restrict  their  comments  to  the  most  respectful  choruses  of 
approval.  Most  of  them  are  subsidized  by  the  government, 
so  that  the  President  and  his  cabinet  have  little  fear 
that  the  obsequious  gentlemen  of  the  pen  will  lessen  their 
own  incomes  by  rash  words. 

The  modern  Mexican  newspapers  have  a necessarily  small 
circulation,  for  the  amount  of  illiteracy  in  the  country  is 
appalling.  Of  the  fourteen  millions  of  population,  over 
sixty  per  cent  are  still  unable  to  read  or  write.  Chief 
among  the  daily  papers  is  El  Imparcial,  which  might  be 
called  the  Times  of  Mexico,  but  although  it  is  the  official 
organ  of  the  government,  its  circulation  does  not  exceed 
a hundred  thousand,  including  the  whole  of  the  Republic. 
It  is  a fairly  good  paper,  considering  the  monopoly  it  has 
long  possessed,  its  editor  being  an  influential  member  of 
Congress.  An  afternoon  edition  of  El  Imparcial  is  pub- 
lished, called  El  Heraldo.  Both  papers,  though  printed  in 
Spanish,  are  in  the  matter  of  head-lines  and  illustrations 
much  Americanized  and  quite  up-to-date.  But  strangely 
enough,  though  copying  the  methods  of  the  press  of  the 
United  States,  El  Imparcial  is  anti-American  in  tone  and 
vehemently  maintains  the  patriotic  doctrine  of  ‘^Mexico 
for  the  Mexicans. 

Next  to  El  Imparcial  in  circulation  is  El  Diario,  a bright 
Spanish  daily  started  in  1906  by  Messrs.  Simondetti  and 
Fornaro,  able  Italian  journalists  with  American  training. 
El  Diario  might  be  called  the  New  York  Journal  of  Mexico, 
having  some  tendency  to  the  sensational.  It  evidently 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


145 


pleases  the  Mexicans,  for  it  already  has  a large  and  rapidly 
increasing  circulation.  This  paper  has  big  head-lines,  often 
in  red  ink,  and  its  illustrations  and  cartoons  bear  some 
resemblance  to  those  of  Mr.  Hearst^s  newspaper. 

While  I was  in  Mexico  City,  El  Diario  was  waging  war 
against  the  local  tramway  company  whose  cars  were  con- 
stantly running  over  unfortunate  peons  and  killing  or  maim- 
ing them.  Every  morning  its  front  page  contained  a list 
of  the  victims,  and  articles  bitterly  denouncing  the  tramway 
management.  These  were  accompanied  with  sensational 
cartoons  with  lots  of  red  ink  in  them,  bearing  such  cheerful 
titles  as  Vintage  of  Blood, Carnival  of  Gore.” 

Other  papers  published  in  the  capital  are  El  Pais,  a 
Catholic  journal,  El  Popular,  La  P atria,  and  Los  Sucesos 
(Events) . La  Patria  is  a very  old  Liberal  Party  paper.  El 
Tiempo  is  the  leading  Catholic  or  conservative  publication, 
and  circulates  all  over  the  Republic.  There  are  also  a 
number  of  weekly  and  monthly  periodicals  issued  in  Mexico, 
including  magazines,  literary  reviews  and  various  trade 
and  financial  journals. 

Two  daily  papers  in  English  are  published  in  the  capital, 
the  Mexican  Herald  and  the  Evening  Record,  owned 
and  edited  by  Americans.  They  are  read  by  the  English- 
speaking  population  all  over  Mexico  and  by  an  ever  increas- 
ing number  of  Mexicans  who  understand  English.  The 
Herald  is  edited  by  Mr.  Frederick  Guernsey,  formerly  of 
Boston,  a very  able  journalist,  who  has  lived  in  Mexico 
nearly  thirty  years. 

In  Guadalajara,  Guanajuato,  Oaxaca  and  some  other 
cities  with  a large  English-speaking  population,  Americans 
have  started  weekly  newspapers  in  English.  In  Monterey 
there  is  quite  an  important  American  daily.  Outside  of  the 
capital,  however,  most  of  the  Spanish-printed  newspapers 
are  very  insignificant  one-sheet  affairs.  The  best  paper 


146 


MEXICO 


published  in  Vera  Cruz,  for  instance,  would  not  bear  com- 
parison with  some  of  our  American  country  weeklies. 

In  the  smaller  towns  the  Mexican  editors  all  show  a great 
lack  of  enterprise,  rarely  publishing  any  bright  local  news, 
and  not  hesitating  to  print  intelligence  that  is  at  least  a week 
old.  An  amusing  reason  for  this  was  given  to  a friend  of 
mine  by  the  editor  of  a Mexican  weekly.  ‘^Good  news,'’ 
he  said,  ^^is  like  good  wine;  it  improves  with  age.  It  is 
always  better  to  hold  news  over  for  a week.  If  it  is  true, 
we  shall  get  more  facts ; and  if  it  proves  to  be  false,  why 
should  we  print  it?" 

The  Mexican  press  is  much  hampered  by  a high  protec- 
tive duty  on  paper.  Some  members  of  the  government 
are  interested  in  a paper  mill,  which  probably  accounts  for 
a policy  which  forces  publishers  to  use  Mexican  paper. 

Several  of  the  more  important  American  newspapers 
have  correspondents  in  Mexico  City,  and  one  or  two  English 
newspapers  are  represented.  The  Associated  Press  of  the 
United  States  also  has  an  office  and  a daily  telegraphic 
service. 

The  growth  of  the  press  in  Mexico  has  been  greatly  as- 
sisted by  the  wonderful  railway  development  which  has 
taken  place  during  the  past  twenty  years.  In  the  old  days 
the  circulation  of  newspapers  was  almost  entirely  local,  but 
to-day  El  Imparcial,  El  Diario,  the  Mexican  Herald  and 
other  city  papers,  thanks  to  quick  delivery,  are  read  in  all 
parts  of  the  country.  Even  twenty  years  ago,  Mexicans 
did  a great  deal  of  their  travelling  in  slow,  lumbering  old 
stage-coaches,  while  to-day  there  are  over  thirty  railways 
in  Mexico,  with  a total  mileage  of  fourteen  thousand. 

Most  of  the  Mexican  lines  have  been  built  with  the  as- 
sistance of  government  subsidies  averaging  from  ten  to 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  per  mile,  provisional  on  the  rail- 
way becoming  the  property  of  the  state,  at  a fair  valuation, 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


147 


after  ninety-nine  years.  Of  the  railways  now  in  operation 
the  two  most  important  are  the  Mexican  Central  and  the 
Mexican  National,  which  run  through  the  centre  of  Mexico 
from  the  United  States  boundary  and  have  many  branches. 
Each  year  new  lines  are  laid  down,  and  the  railway  commu- 
nication between  ports  on  the  Gulf  and  Pacific  coasts  is 
being  constantly  increased.  The  policy  of  the  government 
being  to  obtain  a controlling  interest  in  all  railway  under- 
takings, they  have  lately  purchased  control  of  the  Mexican 
National,  and  are  now  to  obtain  a predominating  voice 
in  the  Mexican  Central,  which  will  be  an  important  step 
towards  the  scheme  of  nationalization  of  railways  at  which 
Mexican  statesmen  are  aiming.  It  is  noteworthy  that  the 
lines  to  which  the  Mexican  authorities  are  devoting  their 
attention  are  those  which  are  American-owned,  while  the 
two  English  lines,  the  Mexican  Railway  and  the  Mexican 
Southern,  have  so  far  escaped  official  attention.  No  doubt 
the  Mexican  government  fears  that  the  great  trunk  railways 
of  the  United  States  would  in  time  absorb  the  Mexican  lines, 
and  by  extortionate  rates  and  other  trust  evils  seriously 
impede  Mexican  progress. 

Heretofore  the  personnel  of  the  National  and  Central 
railways  have  been  almost  entirely  Americans;  but  the 
Mexican  government  is  dismissing  the  foreigners  wherever 
possible  and  putting  Mexicans  in  their  places.  A some- 
what tyrannical  decree  which  was  recently  issued,  that  every 
American  employee  must  acquire  a working  knowledge 
of  Spanish  in  six  months  or  lose  his  place,  shows  pretty 
clearly  what  the  Mexican  policy  is.  This  decree  applies  to 
all  railway  employees  except  the  managers  and  clerks. 

Except  in  the  capital,  Mexican  railway  stations  are 
usually  built  some  distance  from  the  towns,  so  that  cabs 
or  street-cars  have  to  be  used  to  reach  homes  or  hotels. 
This  was  done  to  avoid  the  purchase  of  expensive  rights  of 


148 


MEXICO 


way.  The  Mexican  Central  and  Mexican  National  rail- 
ways run  fine  vestibule  trains  between  Mexico  and  the 
United  States,  with  connections  which  enable  one  to  make 
the  journey  from  the  Mexican  capital  to  New  York  in  less 
than  five  days. 

Railway  enterprise  is  doing  much  to  change  Mexico. 
The  centres  of  population  have  always  been  on  the  great 
plateaus  of  the  interior,  the  coasts  being  very  sparsely 
inhabited.  Until  recent  years,  communication  with  the 
ports,  except  Vera  Cruz  and  Tampico,  was  by  rough  moun- 
tain trails.  Transportation  of  goods  was  slow  and  expen- 
sive and  necessitated  pack-mules,  donkeys  and  armies  of 
cargadores.  Since  railway  development  began,  even  min- 
ing has  become  of  secondary  importance  compared  with 
the  great  increase  in  commerce  and  manufacture  and  the 
impetus  which  agriculture  has  received. 

Another  important  fact  is  that  the  railway  extensions 
have  greatly  diminished  the  chances  of  successful  revolution. 
In  the  old  days  it  took  so  long  to  travel  from  the  capital 
to  any  of  the  big  provincial  centres  that  revolutions  might 
be  brought  to  a successful  issue  before  any  considerable 
body  of  government  troops  could  arrive.  All  this  is  changed 
now,  as  with  the  aid  of  railways,  telegraphs  and  telephones 
troops  can  be  concentrated  at  any  place  by  special  train  at 
a few  hours^  notice.  With  such  a strong  government  as 
Mexico  at  present  possesses,  there  is  consequently  little 
chance  of  a revolution  succeeding,  even  temporarily. 

The  awakening  of  Mexico,  with  the  advancement  of  her 
press  and  the  development  of  her  railways,  has  been  ac- 
companied by  wonderful  progress  in  public  education. 
Much  has  been  done  of  late  under  the  educational  system 
inaugurated  by  President  Diaz  in  1876,  and  at  the  present 
time  even  the  smallest  town  has  its  public  schools.  There 
are  to-day  in  these  schools  over  eight  hundred  thousand 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


149 


scholars,  while  upwards  of  one  hundred  thousand  pupils 
are  attending  private  schools,  institutions  supported  by 
the  clergy,  or  those  of  a private  nature.  Education  is 
compulsory,  though  there  are  great  difficulties  in  enforcing 
the  law.  In  the  primary  schools,  where  boys  and  girls 
are  separately  educated,  the  three  r’s  are  taught,  and  in 
many  cases  instruction  in  the  English  language  is  given, 
so  that  in  a few  years  Mexico  will  tend  to  become  an  Eng- 
lish-speaking country.  In  passing  a Mexican  public  school 
one  hears  a strange  buzzing  like  bees,  the  custom  being 
for  the  children  to  sing  their  lessons  in  chorus. 

In  Mexico  City  the  national  government  maintains  the 
following  institutions:  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  School  of 
Civil  Engineering,  School  of  Medicine,  Law  School,  Academy 
of  Commerce,  Academy  of  Arts  and  Trades,  Conservatory 
of  Music,  Military  College,  School  of  Mines,  and  schools 
for  the  deaf,  dumb,  and  blind.  There  are  seventy-two 
public  libraries  in  the  country,  the  National  Library  in  the 
capital  containing  over  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  thou- 
sand volumes. 

In  the  army  and  the  prisons  there  is  also  a system  of 
compulsory  education,  strict  attendance  at  the  classes  being 
enforced.  The  soldiers  are  for  the  most  part  Indians,  and 
when  they  join  the  ranks  are  almost  without  exception 
illiterate.  They  are  given  instruction  in  reading,  writing, 
arithmetic,  natural  science,  history,  drawing  and  singing. 
This  applies  equally  to  the  jails,  where,  if  a prisoner  is  ear- 
nest in  his  study,  he  can  eventually  win  his  freedom.  The 
Indians,  as  a rule,  are  bright  and  quick  to  learn.  Op- 
pressed and  enslaved  for  centuries,  they  had  little  chance 
to  show  what  was  in  them ; the  twentieth  century  has  now 
given  them  their  opportunity.  The  supreme  importance 
of  education  among  the  masses  was  clearly  recognized 
by  President  Diaz,  who,  in  speaking  of  the  Mexican  school 


150 


MEXICO 


system,  tersely  said : I have  started  a free  school  for  boys 

and  girls  in^every  community  in  the  Republic.  We  regard 
education  as  the  foundation  of  our  prosperity  and  the  basis 
of  our  very  existence.  We  have  learned  from  Japan,  what 
indeed  we  knew  before,  but  did  not  realize  quite  clearly, 
that  education  is  the  one  thing  needful  to  a people.’^ 

The  spread  of  education  among  the  masses  of  Mexico  is 
destined  to  have  an  important  effect  in  shaping  the  future 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  within  the  borders  of  the 
Republic,  where  it  is  still  a power.  A wonderful  history 
is  that  of  the  church  in  Mexico,  dating  as  it  does  from  the 
Spanish  Conquest,  when  missionary  priests  marched  with  the 
soldiers  of  Cortes  and  spread  the  teachings  of  Christianity 
among  the  conquered  race.  Once  subdued,  the  Indians 
took  kindly  enough  to  the  new  religion,  their  cordial  recep- 
tion of  it  being  strengthened  by  the  shrewdness  of  the  priests 
in  blending  the  ritual  of  the  new  and  old  faiths.  Aztec 
gods  were  cleverly  metamorphosed  into  Christian  saints, 
keeping  many  of  their  pagan  characteristics.  Thus  the 
Goddess  of  the  Rains  is  recognizable  in  our  Lady  of  the 
Mists,  to  whom  prayers  for  rain  are  often  offered  in  true 
pagan  fashion.  Catholic  churches  were  generally  built  on 
the  sites  of  Aztec  temples.  Mexican  Catholicism  has  indeed 
ever  been  marked  by  a strong  tendency  to  idolatry,  and 
Catholic  clerics  have  noticed  and  denounced  this  straying 
from  the  forms  of  Holy  Church.  In  some  parts  of  Mexico 
pagan  practices  are  still  kept  up,  such  as  the  dances  in  front 
of  the  church,  while  the  offerings  of  fruit  and  even  lambs 
and  chickens  at  wayside  shrines  are  also  fairly  common. 
The  priests  are  unable  to  stop  these  survivals  of  paganism. 

Less  than  a century  back  the  church  was  all-powerful 
in  Mexico,  and  its  wealth  was  estimated  at  close  on  two 
hundred  million  dollars.  It  has  even  been  estimated  as  high 
as  five  hundred  millions.  Gifts  and  bequests  were  made  to 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


151 


it  by  rich  and  poor  alike,  and  the  best  part  of  the  farm  lands 
in  the  country  belonged  to  it.  The  church  threw  all  its 
weight  into  the  scale  against  progress,  and  it  was  the  abuse 
of  its  power  which  brought  about  in  1864  its  disestablish- 
ment. President  Juarez  was  no  man  for  half  measures, 
and  under  his  government’s  decree  church  lands  were  seized, 
monasteries  and  nunneries  suppressed,  the  priests  were 
forbidden  to  walk  in  the  streets  in  clerical  dress  and  all 
religious  processions  were  voted  illegal.  Marriage  was  made 
a civil  contract,  and  in  addition  to  losing  this  source  of  its 
revenue  much  of  the  church  plate  and  the  interior  adorn- 
ments were  looted  and  sold  as  old  metal. 

Even  at  the  present  time,  though  of  course  looting  is 
out  of  fashion,  church  property  is  still  threatened.  Quite 
recently  the  Mexican  government  has  notified  the  bishops 
throughout  Mexico  that  all  church  property  and  fittings 
belong  to  the  state,  and  that  under  no  circumstances  what- 
ever have  the  priests  the  right  to  part  with  any  article. 
The  ostensible  ground  for  this  decree  is  said  to  have  been 
the  purchase  of  some  ancient  silver  altar  candelabra  by  an 
American  millionaire.  The  Mexican  authorities,  hearing 
of  this,  prohibited  the  removal  of  the  candlesticks.  But 
the  church  sees  in  this  latest  move  something  far  more 
serious  than  an  attempt  to  restrain  globe-trotters  from 
filling  their  trunks  with  souvenirs  of  their  travels.  The 
church  is  probably  right. 

Still  the  hold  of  Catholicism  on  the  bulk  of  the  Mexicans 
is  very  firm,  and  during  the  past  half  century  it  may  be 
said  to  have  regained  some  of  the  power  lost  immediately 
after  the  disestablishment.  The  influence  of  the  priests  is 
almost  unlimited,  and  there  are  many  cases  of  their  grossly 
violating  the  laws  of  the  land.  Women  are  the  stoutest 
adherents  of  the  priestly  lawbreakers,  the  Mexican  men 
seldom  troubling  themselves  about  church  matters. 


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Though  the  ringing  of  church  bells  is  regulated  by  law, 
they  clang  away  discordantly  all  day  long;  the  priests 
openly  appear  in  distinctive  cloaks ; and  the  villagers  will 
often  raise  money  to  pay  a heavy  fine  rather  than  be  de- 
prived of  their  religious  processions  through  the  streets. 

Slowly  the  church  is  once  more  acquiring  much  land. 
When  a rich  Mexican  lies  dying,  he  must  restore  any  church 
property  that  he  has  become  possessed  of,  or  the  priests 
will  refuse  him  extreme  unction.  To  defeat  the  law,  the 
property  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  a trustee.  In  the  same 
way  the  law  regarding  marriage  is  disobeyed,  the  clergy 
teaching  the  people  that  the  ceremony  in  the  church  is  all 
that  is  needed.  Thus  the  church  has  recaptured  one  of  the 
most  profitable  of  her  sources  of  revenue,  for  the  priests 
think  nothing  of  charging  the  peons  five  dollars  as  a mar- 
riage fee,  and  the  charge  was  recently  as  high  as  fifteen 
dollars,  a sum  entirely  beyond  the  means  of  the  ordinary 
Indian  laborer.  In  consequence  of  these  heavy  charges, 
thousands  of  couples  remained  unmarried.  While  I was 
in  the  Sierras,  a Jesuit  priest  came  to  a village  and  mar- 
ried, at  greatly  reduced  rates,  a large  number  of  natives 
who  had  been  living  together  for  years  unmarried,  as  they 
were  too  poor  to  pay  the  fees.  Many  of  them  had  grown-up 
children. 

Yet  despite  all  this,  one  must  not  condemn  Mexican  Ca- 
tholicism too  bitterly ; for  there  are  many  among  the  priests 
who  are  entitled  to  be  called  patriotic  and  progressive  men, 
who  struggle  to  abate  existing  evils  and  improve  the  con- 
dition of  the  masses.  The  saying  in  regard  to  the  sins  of 
the  fathers  is  well  exemplified  in  Mexico,  where  the  priests, 
however  well-meaning,  do  suffer  and  are  likely  to  go  on  suf- 
fering for  the  gross  sins  and  abuses  of  their  predecessors. 

Under  Mexican  law  there  is  complete  religious  toleration. 
Baptists,  Methodists,  and  other  Protestant  sects  being  per- 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


153 


mitted  to  carry  on  an  active  propaganda  throughout  the 
Republic.  Still  Protestantism  makes  but  little  headway, 
and  there  are  said  to  be  but  twenty-five  thousand  of  its 
followers  throughout  the  country.  In  Mexico  City  the 
Methodists,  Baptists  and  other  sects  have  their  own  pub- 
lishing houses  and  produce  a good  deal  of  literature  in 
Spanish.  Christian  Science  is  also  making  some  progress. 
There  are  in  the  capital  several  Protestant  churches  whose 
pastors  conduct  services  in  Spanish  and  English,  and  there 
are  the  usual  Sunday-schools  and  mission  meetings.  The 
Salvation  Army  alone  is  barred  by  reason  of  its  proces- 
sions and  distinctive  dress.  In  bigoted  parts  of  Mexico 
Protestant  preaching  has  at  times  provoked  fierce  attacks, 
and  native  converts  have  been  the  victims  of  terrible  and 
often  fatal  assaults. 

President  Diaz  was  always  keen  on  religious  tolera- 
tion. His  views  on  this  subject  were  clearly  and  eloquently 
expressed  in  an  address  to  some  Protestant  missionaries 
a few  years  ago,  when  he  said : have  seen  this  land  as 

none  of  you  ever  saw  it,  in  degradation,  with  everything 
in  the  line  of  toleration  and  freedom  to  learn.  I have 
watched  its  rise  and  progress  to  a better  condition.  We 
are  not  yet  all  we  ought  to  be  and  hope  to  be,  but  we  have 
risen  as  a people,  and  are  now  rising  faster  than  ever.  Do 
not  be  discouraged.  Keep  on  with  your  work,  avoiding 
topics  of  irritation  and  preaching  the  Gospel  in  its  own 
spirit.^’  Such  an  utterance  from  such  a man  proved  that 
toleration  has  certainly  dawned  in  Mexico.  Official  rec- 
ognition had  been  freely  given  to  Protestant  missionary 
effort.  Vice-President  Corral  was  honorary  president  of 
the  Mexican  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  President  Diaz  occasionally 
attended  its  meetings.  He  and  his  cabinet  were  also 
present  at  special  memorial  services  in  the  Presbyterian 
churches.  Less  than  a generation  ago  this  would  have  been 


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impossible,  and  such  an  action  by  a president  would  have 
invited  assassination. 

The  extent  of  the  power  still  wielded  in  Mexico  by  the 
ancient  church  is  strikingly  shown  in  the  burial  of  the  dead, 
the  majority  of  funerals  being  conducted  with  Catholic 
rites.  A number  of  curious  burial  customs  also  exist,  some 
of  which  are  due  to  racial  and  climatic  reasons,  while  others 
have  undoubtedly  originated  in  churchly  tradition. 

In  Mexico,  as  in  all  other  tropical  countries,  a body  must 
be  buried  within  twenty-four  hours  after  death.  This 
necessarily  entails  much  haste  and  worry  on  the  part  of 
the  bereaved  ones,  at  a time  when  they  are  least  able  to 
bear  it.  Haste  being  thus  a prerequisite,  coffins  are  in- 
variably purchased  ready-made,  and  in  accordance  with 
the  general  custom,  corpses  are  dressed  in  their  best  clothes, 
a dress  suit  in  the  case  of  a gentleman,  while  a lady  is 
arrayed  in  her  finest  evening  gown.  A few  of  the  old 
families,  however,  still  adhere  to  a more  venerable  Mexican 
custom  of  dressing  the  dead  as  nuns  and  friars. 

In  Mexico  City,  and  some  of  the  other  large  towns,  the 
cemeteries  being  some  distance  out,  hearses  and  mourning 
coaches  are  not  used  at  funerals,  but  the  coffins  of  rich  and 
poor  are  conveyed  in  funeral  street-cars  as  described  in  a 
preceding  chapter.  The  mourners  are  always  men,  as  ladies 
in  Mexico  do  not  follow  funerals.  A brief  service  is  there- 
fore read  at  the  house  of  the  bereaved  family,  a few  con- 
cluding rites  being  observed  at  the  cemetery.  Instead  of 
being  screwed  down,  the  coffin  is  provided  with  a lock,  and 
before  being  lowered  into  the  grave  the  lid  is  lifted,  so  that 
an  official  of  the  cemetery,  who  is  present,  can  be  con- 
vinced that  the  coffin  contains  a corpse  and  have  it  formally 
identified.  The  coffin  is  then  locked,  deposited  in  the  grave 
and  the  key  handed  to  the  chief  mourner. 

In  most  parts  of  Mexico  burial  plots  in  the  cemeteries 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 


155 


are  usually  leased  for  a term  of  years.  At  the  expiration 
of  the  time,  unless  the  lease  is  renewed,  the  bones  are  ex- 
humed and  thrown  into  a charnel  house.  The  cemeteries 
are  little  visited  except  on  All  Saints’  Day,  when  friends 
and  relations  flock  to  them  with  wreaths,  crosses  and  bou- 
quets of  flowers  to  decorate  the  graves.  Death  feasts  are 
also  held  in  the  cemetery  on  this  day,  tables  being  arranged 
near  the  graves  and  loaded  with  eatables  which  have  some 
ghastly  reference  to  mortality,  such  as  cakes  or  sweets 
representing  skulls  and  cross-bones,  while  a real  skull  and 
a bowl  of  holy  water  are  set  in  the  midst  of  these  grewsome 
dainties. 

Whenever  a death  occurs  among  the  poor,  a kind  of 
Irish  wake  is  held  by  the  family  and  friends,  in  which  there 
is  much  drinking  of  pulque  and  singing  and  dancing.  The 
corpse  is  never  left  alone  for  a moment,  for  fear  that  evil 
spirits  might  tamper  with  it.  Following  the  custom  of 
their  Aztec  ancestors,  the  Indians  still  place  corn,  and  some- 
times other  edibles,  in  the  coffins  in  order  that  the  dead  may 
have  food  to  sustain  them  on  their  long  journey  to  the  land 
of  spirits.  For  poor  funerals,  coffins  are  frequently  hired 
for  the  day,  the  body  being  simply  conveyed  in  it  to  the 
cemetery,  the  coffin  being  afterwards  returned  to  the  under- 
taker. 

An  interesting  religious  custom  is  observed  in  Mexico 
in  the  months  of  January  and  February.  It  is  known  as 
the  ‘‘blessing  of  the  animals,”  and  takes  place  in  connection 
with  the  Feast  of  St.  Anthony.  On  the  appointed  day,  the 
people  congregate  in  the  churchyard,  driving  with  them 
their  household  pets  and  other  animals,  all  of  which  are 
decorated  for  the  occasion.  At  one  of  these  services, 
which  I witnessed  near  the  city,  there  were  cows,  burros, 
sheep  and  mules,  painted  and  trimmed  in  various  vivid 
hues.  There  were  green  sheep,  pink  goats  and  blue  pigs. 


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horses  covered  with  scarlet  and  gold  paper  stars  tied  with 
bands  and  bows  of  flaming  ribbons.  Women  brought  their 
parrots  and  canaries  in  their  cages,  while  turkeys,  geese  and 
old  hens  were  carried  in,  all  adorned  with  ribbons  of  gay 
colors.  When  the  church  bell  sounded,  a priest  appeared 
in  the  porch,  and  the  people  made  a rush  for  the  door, 
driving  or  holding  up  their  various  beasts  and  birds  to 
catch  a drop  of  the  holy  water  which  was  sprinkled. 

Another  remarkable  religious  celebration  takes  place  on 
Easter  Saturday,  when  papier-mache  effigies  of  Judas 
Iscariot  are  hung  along  the  streets,  ranging  from  little 
figures  to  some  which  are  almost  life  size.  Each  figure  is 
filled  with  explosives  and  has  a fuse  attached  to  it.  These 
are  exploded  in  all  directions  until  the  noise  is  deafening. 
Some  of  the  figures  bear  such  mottos  as,  I am  the  DeviFs 
son,^’  “Blow  me  to  Inferno.^^  Everybody  considers  it  his 
duty  to  blow  up  a Judas. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE  MEXICAN  WOMAN 

A GOOD  idea  of  the  difference  between  the  status  of 
American  and  Mexican  women  could  be  obtained  by  com- 
paring a photograph  taken  at  midday  in  Fifth  Avenue, 
New  York,  with  one  taken  at  the  same  hour  in  Calle  San 
Francisco,  Mexico  City.  In  the  New  York  view  there 
would  perhaps  be  more  women  than  men,  whereas  in  the 
Mexican  scene,  so  far  as  the  white  element  is  concerned, 
there  would  be  comparatively  few.  This  is  noticeable,  in 
fact,  wherever  one  goes  in  Mexico,  for  among  all  classes 
of  Mexicans,  except  the  Indians,  women  are  kept  more 
strictly  secluded  than  even  in  Spain.  There  is,  at  present, 
no  strictly  defined  Mexican  middle  class;  but  both  the 
upper  class  and  what  would  be  equivalent  to  the  minor 
business  classes  in  this  country  are  rather  Moorish  than 
European  in  their  treatment  of  the  fair  sex. 

Girls  of  the  higher  class,  in  taking  their  walks  abroad, 
are  still  guarded  by  watchful  duennas,  and  until  recently 
women  of  high  society  rarely  took  a drive  in  an  open  car- 
riage. To  such  an  extent,  in  fact,  was  this  exclusion  carried 
in  former  days  that  some  of  the  grande  dames,  when  shop- 
ing,  did  not  leave  their  carriages,  but  had  the  salesmen  bring 
the  goods  to  the  door. 

These  severe  restrictions  as  to  women  showing  them- 
selves in  public  brought  about  in  Spain  and  Mexico  the 
use  of  the  windows  and  balconies  so  characteristic  of  the 
two  countries.  This  is  almost  the  only  way  in  which  the 

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158 


MEXICO 


senoras  and  senoritas  can,  with  due  regard  to  propriety, 
take  the  air ; and  thus  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  they  can 
be  seen  sitting  like  prisoners,  peering  out  through  the  iron- 
barred  windows  at  the  carriages  and  passers-by,  and  perhaps 
nodding  to  friends. 

With  its  bolts  and  bars,  real  and  figurative,  the  Mexican 
perhaps  cannot  claim  that  the  word  “home,”  in  the  Ameri- 
can and  English  sense,  has  any  real  meaning  for  him ; but 
his  house  is  in  very  fact  his  castle,  and  he  guards  it  from 
the  inquisitive  with  the  precautions  of  a tyrant.  As  in 
Spain,  the  Mexican  father  of  the  upper  classes  is  an  ab- 
solute lord  and  master,  and  to  him  all  are  subservient,  even 
the  grown-up  children  being  expected  to  show  obedience 
in  matters  in  which  an  American  father  would  never  dream 
of  interfering.  Marriage  without  the  consent  of  parents  is, 
for  instance,  quite  unknown. 

But  even  with  the  strong  discipline  that  prevails  in  the 
Mexican  household,  families  are  not  always  united;  there 
are  the  usual  quarrels,  which  in  a climate  where  the  blood 
is  hot  have  led  on  occasions  to  serious  brawls  and  duels  in 
which  lives  have  been  lost.  A disturbing  element  is  per- 
haps the  fact  that  among  the  upper  classes  it  is  common 
for  a number  of  kinsfolk  to  occupy  the  huge  old-fashioned 
family  mansion.  An  uncle  or  two,  an  aunt,  a few  cousins 
and  sometimes  actually  two  mothers-in-law  are  added  to 
the  family  circle  and  dwell  together  under  the  same  roof. 
There  is  consequently  bound  to  be  more  or  less  friction; 
and  that  so  many  families  can  live  peacefully  together  under 
such  trying  conditions  is  certainly  proof  of  much  patience 
and  good  nature.  Between  husband  and  wife,  for  whom 
when  they  differ  there  is  no  divorce,  there  may  exist  for 
years  a complete  estrangement;  but  the  world  will  know 
little  of  it,  for  they  will  go  on  living  in  the  same  house, 
although  they  may  never  exchange  a word. 


TBE  MEXICAN  WOMAN 


159 


So  hide-bound  are  the  rules  which  govern  Mexican  home 
life  that  even  the  most  cultured  and  charming  foreigners, 
resident  for  years  in  the  country,  have  never  penetrated 
into  the  houses  of  the  wealthier  Mexicans.  No  foreigner, 
unless  he  be  associated  with  diplomacy,  is  likely  to  have 
any  chance  of  studying  and  judging  the  Mexican  women, 
so  complete  is  what  amounts  to  a true  harem  system. 

As  a rule,  the  Mexican  women  are  not  beautiful.  They 
are  generally  of  medium  height  and  slight  build  when  young ; 
though  as  they  progress  in  years  they  tend  to  obesity. 
Their  skin  is  of  an  olive  tint  and  their  complexions  are 
usually  bad,  probably  on  account  of  the  lack  of  exercise. 
They  are  much  addicted  to  the  use  of  powder,  which  is  laid 
on  very  thickly,  and  their  lips  are  often  rouged.  Mexican 
beauties  may  be  divided  into  two  classes : the  slight,  deli- 
cate girl  with  big,  soft  black  eyes,  and  features  somewhat 
suggestive  of  the  Madonna  type ; and  a stout,  voluptuous 
young  woman,  — a sort  of  Spanish  dancing-girl  type,  — 
with  bold,  flashing  black  eyes. 

The  free  life  lived  by  young  American  and  English  women 
is  utterly  unknown  in  Mexico.  Girls  are  watched  keenly 
by  their  mothers,  who  scarcely  ever  allow  them  out  of  their 
sight,  save  in  the  custody  of  some  old  woman-servant  or 
other  trusty  retainer.  Mexican  women  have  no  sympathy 
with  the  suffragette  movement;  they  do  not  want  votes, 
and  take  no  interest  whatever  in  public  affairs.  The  whole 
question  of  women’s  rights  is  tabooed,  and  all  innovations 
in  the  household  are  looked  at  askance. 

The  contrast  between  the  lives  of  these  dark  beauties 
and  those  of  their  fairer  Northern  sisters  is  perhaps  best 
realized  from  the  fact  that  no  Mexican  girl  of  even  the 
middle  class  would  be  permitted  to  have  a young  man  call  to 
see  her  or  be  her  escort  to  the  theatre.  A Mexican  mother 
would  probably  have  a fit  if  such  an  idea  were  suggested 


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to  her.  In  her  estimation,  no  man  is  safe  until  he  is  married, 
and  even  then  he  will  bear  close  watching.  Doubtless  this 
lack  of  freedom  is  the  reason  for  the  Mexican  senoritas 
gaining  the  name  of  coquettes ; it  is  their  way  of  rebelling. 
But  while  there  is  so  much  outward  show  of  restraint  and 
so  much  parade  of  the  modest  and  retiring  virgin  about  the 
Mexican  girFs  home  life,  there  is  another  side  to  the  picture 
which  is  apt  to  jar  on  the  Anglo-Saxon  woman.  Even 
Mexican  women  of  the  highest  classes  will  permit  them- 
selves to  talk  among  their  friends  or  with  their  servant- 
girls  in  a manner  which  would  be  regarded  as  shameful 
among  Americans.  If  the  latter  show  their  astonishment, 
the  Mexican  woman,  with  a laugh,  will  accuse  them  of 
having  false  modesty. 

Mexicans  are  passionate  admirers  of  the  fair  sex,  and 
susceptible  young  fellows  who  see  an  attractive  girl  with 
her  duenna  will  often  follow  her,  uttering  such  compli- 
mentary phrases  as,  ‘^Ojos  hellos’’  (Beautiful  eyes)  or 

Bella  creatura  ” (‘^Beautiful  creature”),  ^^Ah,  hermosa 
rubia”  (^^Ah,  lovely  blonde”),  Charming  brunette.” 
Some  of  the  girls  titter  and  seem  to  like  it.  American 
girls,  on  the  contrary,  do  not  appreciate  these  Mexican 
compliments.  A lagartijo  or  “masher,”  who  followed  one 
strong-minded  Yankee  girl,  giving  utterance  to  his  ex- 
pressions of  admiration,  was  rewarded  with  some  swinging 
blows  on  his  head  from  the  umbrella  she  carried.  In 
Mexican  love  affairs,  by  the  way,  there  is  a peculiar  slang 
used.  Thus  a girl  or  boy  jilted  is  called  a calabaza,  mean- 
ing the  dried,  empty  gourd;  old  maids  are  solteronas; 
young  men  are  gallinos  — young  roosters. 

A severe  critic  of  Mexico  has  described  it  as  a land  where 
flowers  have  no  perfume,  men  no  honor  and  women  no 
virtue.  Americans  and  Englishmen  who  have  lived  there 
generally  report  that  the  whole  race  of  Mexicans  are  grossly 


THE  MEXICAN  WOMAN 


161 


immoral.  Doubtless  there  is  a great  deal  of  exaggeration 
in  these  strictures.  Such  judgments  have  been  formed 
largely  from  appearances,  and,  where  it  is  so  difficult  for 
a foreigner  to  come  into  close  touch  with  the  intimate  life 
of  a people,  it  is  surely  only  right  for  him  to  hesitate  be- 
fore launching  general  indictments  against  them.  There  is 
no  doubt  much  laxness  in  morals.  The  Mexican  husband 
watches  his  wife  as  a cat  does  a mouse,  yet  very  often  she 
deceives  him.  All  Mexican  men  are  said  to  be  unfaithful, 
and  it  is  almost  expected  of  any  one  who  has  the  means,  to 
keep  two  households  at  least.  When  an  American  friend 
of  mine,  who  lives  in  Mexico,  was  recently  making  his  will, 
his  Mexican  lawyer  asked  him  if  he  had  any  children  at 
home.  he  replied,  “I  have  none,^^  whereupon  the 

lawyer,  with  a quizzical  look,  asked,  Well,  donT  you  have 
any  other  household?’^  putting  the  question  as  a matter 
of  course.  It  is  this  very  different  point  of  view  which 
makes  mixed  marriages  in  Mexico  almost  invariably  failures. 
The  American  girl  or  her  English  cousin  who  mates  with 
a Mexican  generally  lives  to  repent  it.  In  the  same  way, 
the  marriages  of  Englishmen  or  Americans  with  Mexican 
women  are  generally  failures. 

Under  the  system  of  seclusion  of  which  she  is  the  victim, 
the  Mexican  girl  has  but  two  things  in  life  to  occupy  her, 
love  and  religion.  The  classical  Spanish  picture  of  the 
maiden  at  the  barred  window  or  leaning,  Juliet-like,  from 
a balcony,  while  her  sweetheart  thrums  music  to  her  on  his 
mandolin  or  guitar,  is  reproduced  every  evening  in  Mexico. 
Courtship  is  a delightfully  difficult  pursuit.  A young  man 
will,  by  chance,  meet  a girl  in  the  street  or  on  the  plaza. 
Her  languishing  black  eyes  will  haunt  him  and,  having 
followed  her  home,  he  must  content  himself  for  days  and 
weeks  with  watching  the  house.  He  has  reached  the  stage 
which  is  known  as  ‘^Hacer  el  oso'^  (to  play  the  bear),  a 

M 


162 


MEXICO 


phrase  in  comic  allusion  to  his  lovesick  pacing  up  and  down 
under  the  adored  one’s  window  as  a bear  walks  backwards 
and  forwards  in  his  cage  hour  after  hour.  Now  comes  the 
girl’s  turn.  Safe  behind  her  curtain,  or  in  the  darkness  of 
her  balcony,  she  can  make  her  coquettish  little  mind  up 
whether  he  is  quite  the  kind  of  bear  she  wants.  If  he  is, 
she  finds  a dozen  ways  of  encouraging  him ; a smile,  a wave 
of  the  hand,  a suspicion  of  the  blowing  of  a kiss  are  enough 
to  make  the  bear  happy.  When  she  goes  to  mass  or  walks 
in  the  plaza,  the  faithful  bear  follows  her,  and  although 
they  cannot  exchange  a word,  they  can  find  happiness  in 
looks. 

Sometimes  a flirtation  of  this  kind  reaches  the  love-letter 
stage,  servants  or  tradesmen  who  call  at  the  house  being 
bribed  to  deliver  the  billets-doux,  or  perhaps  the  missives 
are  fished  up  by  the  amorous  young  lady  with  a string  from 
the  balcony.  This  is  the  moment  when  fate  must  decide 
whether  or  not  the  course  of  true  love  is  to  run  smooth. 
If  the  parents  disapprove,  the  unfortunate  bear  will  soon 
know ; for  the  girl  will  be  shut  up  either  at  home  or  in  a 
convent  to  save  her  from  his  attentions.  If,  however,  the 
bear  is  an  eligible  party,  the  parents  do  not  interfere  in  the 
rather  puerile  course  the  love  affair  takes.  For,  having 
so  far  advanced,  etiquette  permits  the  girl  to  talk  to  her 
bear  from  the  balcony  or  through  the  grille  of  her  window ; 
and  the  moonlight  nights  are  devoted  to  the  pouring  of 
sweet  nothings  into  each  other’s  ear.  The  patient  bears 
are  frequently  content  that  this  nonsense  should  last  for 
years,  and  even  then  a bear  may  lose  his  prize. 

Bears  are  very  jealous  creatures,  at  least  these  Mexican 
bears  are,  and  they  will  disguise  themselves  as  mozos  or 
peons  and  watch  their  fair  one’s  window  to  see  if  another 
bear  is  in  the  running.  An  English  friend  of  mine  who 
lives  in  an  old  Mexican  town  witnessed  an  amusing  instance 


“PLAYING  THE  BEAR.” 

A popular  feature  of  Mexican  courtship. 


i0‘  .-j 


THE  MEXICAN  WOMAN 


163 


of  this  not  long  ago.  A young  Englishman  who  happened 
to  be  visiting  him  was  very  fond  of  listening  to  the  music 
in  the  plaza  and  watching  the  people.  One  evening  when 
he  was  out  with  my  friend,  he  remarked,  ‘^IVe  found  a 
ripping  place  to  sit  and  smoke  my  pipe  and  listen  to  the  band. 
IVe  been  sitting  in  that  old  alcove  window  over  there 
nearly  every  night.  It’s  just  off  the  plaza,  and  you  can 
sit  there  and  hear  the  music  without  getting  in  the  crowd. 
Let’s  go  over  and  sit  down.”  They  took  a seat  on  the 
window  ledge,  and  had  been  there  only  a few  minutes  when 
a red  rose  was  thrown  to  them  from  an  upper  window. 
At  the  same  moment  they  caught  sight  of  a rather  shabby- 
looking  Mexican  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  who 
looked  up  at  the  window,  shook  his  fist  and  seemed  to  be 
in  a great  rage.  He  beckoned  to  another  Mexican,  who 
came  up  and  spoke  excitedly  in  Spanish.  The  English- 
men heard  such  words  as  'Hraidora”  (traitress),  ^Halsa” 
(false  one),  ^^corazon  duro”  (black  heart).  ‘‘Yes,”  said 
one  of  the  Mexicans,  “and  there  are  actually  two  of  them,” 
pointing  at  the  Britishers.  My  friend  said : “Those  fellows 
seem  to  object  to  our  sitting  here;  we  had  better  make 
a move.”  So  they  departed,  wondering  what  connection 
there  was  between  the  red  rose  and  the  anger  of  the  Mexicans. 

The  mystery  was  solved  a few  days  later  when  my  friend 
happened  to  call  on  an  old  lady  in  the  neighborhood.  He 
mentioned  the  red-rose  incident,  and  his  hostess  became 
almost  hysterical  with  laughter.  “Pardon  me,  senor,” 
she  said,  “but  it  is  the  best  joke  I ever  heard.  It  explain 
a great  mystery.  My  nephew,  Don  Carlos,  is  much  in  love 
with  a young  lady.  Miss  Concepcion,  who  live  in  that  house 
and  he  play  the  bear.  He  is  very  jealous  and  think  per- 
haps she  have  another  bear,  so  he  disguise  himself  as  a mozo 
and  keep  watch  with  a friend.  He  see  your  friend  sit  by 
the  window  every  night  and  believe  he  is  playing  bear  too. 


164 


MEXICO 


The  senorita  see  her  bear  watching  in  disguise  and  just  for 
mischief  she  throw  the  rose  to  your  friend.  Oh,  Don  Carlos 
is  very  angry;  he  write  bitter  letters  and  say  he  is  very 
much  deceived,  and  Miss  Concepcion  now  repent  very  much 
of  her  j oke.  I tell  him  now  and  everything  will  be  all  right . ^ ^ 
The  next  evening  a very  tame,  subdued  bear  might  have 
been  seen  standing  below  Miss  Concepcion^s  window,  making 
a very  humble  apology  in  choicest  Castilian. 

But  bear  rivalries  do  not  always  end  so  innocently. 
There  is  very  hot  blood  in  the  veins  of  the  young  Mexicans, 
and  again  and  again  reports  will  find  their  way  into  the 
papers  of  fierce  conflicts  between  the  suitors  for  the  same 
girl.  Thus,  quite  recently  one  of  the  Mexico  City  papers 
reported  a fatal  encounter  at  Chihuahua,  where  two  young 
fellows,  members  of  prominent  families,  embittered  by 
rivalry,  met  at  night  and  fought  a duel  with  pistols,  both 
being  killed.  At  Monterey  the  coquettish  desire  of  a girl 
to  attract  attention  nearly  cost  the  lives  of  two  men.  In 
the  plaza,  at  night,  she  mischievously  threw  a flower  from 
her  bouquet  towards  a young  man  whose  attention  she 
wished  to  attract.  Her  lover,  furious  with  jealousy,  flew 
at  his  rival,  and  the  two  left  the  plaza  to  fight  it  out  at  the 
back  of  the  town,  and  one  if  not  both  lives  would  have  been 
lost  if  friends  had  not  separated  the  angry  young  men. 

Before  a bear  can  propose  marriage  he  must,  of  course, 
interview  the  girks  parents.  After  a conventional  period, 
accompanied  by  a friendly  sponsor,  he  must  formally  call 
on  the  father  and  propose  marriage.  If  he  is  eligible,  the 
girl’s  inclinations  are  consulted.  She  will  probably  say, 
coquette  that  she  is,  that  she  cannot  answer  till  she  has 
met  him.  This,  too,  after  months,  perhaps  years,  of  even- 
ings on  the  balcony.  When  the  bear  is  at  last  permitted 
the  entree,  every  member  of  the  family  and  even  the  ser- 
vants have  the  right  of  witnessing  his  adoption  as  “son-in- 


THE  MEXICAN  WOMAN 


165 


law  elect/’  Thereafter  he  is  the  novis  oficial”  or  accepted 
lover;  but  even  then  he  never  has  the  advantage  of  a 
t^te-a4ete  with  his  fiancee  for  some  one  is  always  playing 
gooseberry.  And  this  very  unamusing  courtship  also  has 
the  disadvantage  of  being  extremely  expensive.  If,  for 
example,  the  young  fellow  would  take  his  sweetheart  to 
the  theatre  or  to  a restaurant,  he  must  entertain  the  whole 
family  as  well. 

Everything,  in  fact,  falls  upon  the  unfortunate  bear; 
for  when  the  fatal  time  approaches,  not  only  must  he  pay 
for  the  furniture  of  the  new  home,  but  he  is  even  expected 
to  give  the  bride  her  trousseau.  Among  the  wealthier 
people,  it  is  true,  the  girl’s  parents  pay  for  some  of  the 
latter,  the  bridegroom  having  only  to  provide  the  dresses 
and  jewels.  There  are,  in  Mexico,  two  wedding  ceremonies, 
the  civil  and  religious,  the  latter  taking  place  at  the  church, 
while  the  former  is  a contract  made  before  the  judge  of  the 
local  court  in  the  presence  of  six  witnesses.  After  marriage, 
the  wife  uses  her  husband’s  name  as  well  as  her  own. 
Senorita  Garcia,  who  marries  Senor  Fernandez,  thus  be- 
comes Senora  Garcia  de  Fernandez. 

Religion  means  a great  deal  to  the  Mexican  women.  Most 
of  them  bear  the  sacred  name  of  Mary,  coupled  with  some 
incident  in  the  life  of  the  Virgin,  such  as  Conception,” 
“Sorrows,”  “Assumption,”  “Gifts,”  “Miracles,”  “Tears,” 
etc.  In  their  own  way  they  are  devout  enough,  and  are  just 
as  scrupulous  in  performing  their  religious  duties  as  they 
are  in  the  matters  of  toilet.  They  are  very  superstitious, 
a result  of  their  ignorance,  and  still  believe  in  signs,  omens 
and  other  supernatural  manifestations.  As  a rule,  they 
are  kind-hearted  and  charitable.  Smoking  is  very  general 
among  them,  and  this  is  very  often  done  in  quite  an  open 
manner  and  in  company  with  the  male  members  of  the 
family.  Mexican  women,  on  meeting  one  another,  kiss  each 


166 


MEXICO 


other  on  both  cheeks,  but  unlike  the  Frenchmen,  the  Mexi- 
can men  do  not  imitate  their  wives  in  their  greetings  to 
their  friends ; they  simply  embrace  and  pat  each  other  on 
the  back  affectionately,  the  Mexican  equivalent  of  ^‘good 
old  chap. 

The  Mexicans  have  a phrase,  ^^muy  simpatica,^^  which 
literally  means  very  sympathetic,^^  but  really  cannot  be 
done  justice  to  in  English.  It  means  that  charming  char- 
acteristic of  personal  attractiveness,  the  result  of  a sweet 
disposition,  and  this  might  be  truly  said  to  be  a terse  de- 
scription of  the  better  Mexican  women.  They  are  ^^muy 
simpatica,^’  and  this  the  lucky  stranger  will  learn  who  ex- 
periences their  kindly  hospitality. 

Indolence  and  a lack  of  domestic  training  are  characteris- 
tic of  even  middle-class  Mexican  women  and  girls  as  well 
as  of  their  wealthier  sisters ; but  it  is  more  marked  in  large 
houses.  All  the  marketing  is  left  to  the  cook.  She  has 
a sum  given  her  each  day,  and  manages  to  squeeze  a com- 
mission out  of  each  shopkeeper.  No  Mexican  housewife 
would  dream  of  getting  more  than  a day’s  supply  of  food, 
— sometimes,  indeed,  only  a meal’s  supply  is  kept,  — be- 
cause the  servants  would  steal  it,  and  also  because  there 
are  no  ice  safes,  and  meat  and  other  fresh  eatables  soon  go 
bad.  Such  a system  prohibits  good  housekeeping.  Ser- 
vants’ wages  are  very  poor.  A cook  will  get  about  three 
Mexican  dollars  a week  ($1.50).  In  a well-to-do  household 
there  is  a door-keeper  (portero),  a coachman  (cochero), 
a chambermaid  (recamarera),  an  ostler  (caballerango),  a 
man  of  all  work  (mozo),  a cook  (cocinera),  a woman  to 
grind  maize  (molendera)  and  af ootman  (lacayo) . Servants 
are  summoned  in  true  Eastern  style  by  clapping  the  hands, 
as  in  most  houses  there  are  no  bells.  In  old-fashioned  house- 
holds the  domestics  call  their  mistress  nina,  literally  little 
girl . ’ ’ Except  in  fashionable  houses,  the  servants  are  always 


THE  MEXICAN  WOMAN 


167 


Indians.  Their  food  costs  but  little,  consisting,  as  it  usually 
does,  of  tortillas  and  frijoles,  and  they  rarely  sleep  in  beds, 
preferring  to  spread  a mat  in  the  hall  and  roll  themselves 
in  a blanket. 

The  rigid  seclusion  of  women  is  a good  deal  relaxed  in 
the  country  towns,  where  girls  are  seen  more  in  the  streets. 
They  have  a queer  custom  of  taking  a walk  apparently 
after  washing  the  hair,  with  their  long  tresses  combed  out 
and  flowing  down  their  backs.  This  they  do  not  seem  to 
consider  at  all  strange.  Their  relations  with  the  store 
people  are  equally  unconventional.  Even  well-to-do 
women  will  come  in  and  affably  shake  hands  with  the  shop- 
men, talk  in  a friendly  way  with  them,  and  inquire  after 
their  families.  But  all  this  freedom  stops  at  the  door. 
In  the  street  the  very  same  women  cut  their  grocer. 
To  do  otherwise  would  be  wrong  — ^'no  es  costumbre.” 

A great  deal  of  the  severity  of  the  old  regime  is  breaking 
down  under  the  foreign  invasion.  Rich  Mexicans  send 
their  girls  to  schools  in  France,  in  England  or  the  United 
States,  and  they  gain  new  ideas  of  woman’s  sphere.  But 
the  change  must  be  necessarily  slow,  and  to  all  intents  and 
purposes  the  average  Mexican  girl  is  not  educated.  When 
she  has  learned  her  alphabet  and  can  write  a stilted  letter 
in  a fulsome  Spanish  style,  can  murder  a few  pieces  on  the 
piano,  and  mangle  a few  French  phrases,  use  her  needle 
indifferently,  and  discover  that  her  country  is  bordered 
by  two  oceans,  her  education  is  finished.  But  her  greatest 
deprivation  is  the  fact  that  she  has  no  share  in  the  happy 
outdoor  life  of  athletics  which  has  done  so  much  for  the 
present  generation  of  American  women. 

Still,  all  this  is  bound  to  change.  The  emancipation  of 
Mexican  women  is  only  a question  of  time,  and  the  day  may 
yet  dawn  when  the  suffragette  movement  will  be  cordially 
taken  up  in  the  land  of  the  Aztecs.  Young  women  of  the 


168 


MEXICO 


middle  class  are  going  into  business,  taking  work  in  the  stores 
and  in  offices,  and  moving  about  freely  in  the  city  without 
chaperones.  All  this  is  affecting  the  prejudiced  old  Mexican 
families,  who  will  gradually  abandon  their  Eastern  system 
of  seclusion. 

Not  long  ago  the  Mexican  Herald  published  a paragraph 
about  openings  for  women  in  Mexico,  which  was  copied  by 
a number  of  American  papers.  The  editor  of  the  Herald 
subsequently  received  hundreds  of  letters  from  young 
American  women  offering  to  come  to  Mexico  as  typewriters, 
clerks,  etc.,  and  demanding  absurdly  high  salaries.  But 
what  would  most  excite  the  fears  of  the  Mexican  maidens 
was  that  most  of  the  American  girls  added  a P.S.  to  their 
letters,  asking  what  chance  there  was  of  their  capturing 
Mexican  millionaires  on  their  arrival ! It  is  unlikely  that 
Mexican  women  will  be  content  with  their  dreary  lives  of 
confinement  when  they  see  their  country  invaded  by  the 
ubiquitous  Yankee  business  girl,  taking  her  place  in  ab- 
solute equality  by  the  side  of  their  brothers.  A trade  in- 
vasion is  one  thing,  a matrimonial  invasion  is  quite  another. 
The  Mexican  girls  must  look  to  their  orange-blossoms. 

One  feature  of  modern  progress  which  is  certainly  to  be 
regretted  is  the  tendency  to  abandon  the  picturesque 
Mexican  dress,  the  Spanish  mantilla  type,  and  to  replace 
it  with  Parisian  gowns  and  hats.  Very  few  of  the  be- 
witching senoritas  are  now  to  be  seen  veiling  their  charms 
with  those  exquisite  lace  wraps  which  one  associates  with 
sunny  Spain.  Modish  costumes  are  now  generally  worn, 
and  owing  to  the  equable  climate,  there  are  no  such  things 
as  winter  dresses  or  furs,  summer  gowns  being  worn  all  the 
year  round. 

The  Mexicans,  like  all  tropical  people,  love  color,  and  a 
strikingly  tinted  dress  wins  their  admiration  much  more  read- 
ily than  the  most  costly  of  dull-colored  silks.  But  the  poorer 


TME  MEXICAN  WOMAN 


169 


girls  cannot  always  indulge  their  taste,  having  to  be  content 
with  a flower  in  the  hair  or  in  the  dress,  while  they  are 
usually  clothed  in  a plain  black  skirt  with  a black  cambric 
shawl  over  the  shoulders,  folded  in  front  in  old-fashioned 
style.  This  style  of  girl,  whom  one  is  always  meeting  in 
the  streets,  wears  no  hat.  Many  of  them  would  be  quite 
good-looking  if  they  were  only  dressed  properly.  Ladies 
whom  I interviewed  on  the  subject  told  me  that  women’s 
clothing  is  so  expensive  in  Mexico  that  it  is  impossible  for 
people  of  this  class  to  buy  anything  better.  Some  of  these 
meztiza  girls,  who  have  far  more  Indian  than  white  blood 
in  their  veins,  have  rather  an  unpleasant  look.  They  have 
dark  olive  skins,  pronounced  Indian  features,  and  unnat- 
urally black  eyelashes,  as  if  they  had  been  dyed. 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE  FOREIGN  INVASION 

Mexicans  being  naturally  averse  to  all  business  enter- 
prise or  energetic  action,  have  for  years  past  left  the  de- 
velopment of  their  country  to  the  strangers  within  their 
gates.  Unless  he  is  a man  of  wealth,  the  Mexican  usually 
has  one  ambition,  and  that  is  to  become  a government 
employee.  With  this  satisfied,  he  cares  little  about  banking, 
trading  or  mining;  at  any  rate,  he  does  not  care  enough 
about  them  to  put  himself  out  and  work  hard.  Thus  it  is 
that  while  the  foreigners  in  Mexico  form  a comparatively 
small  percentage  of  the  population,  yet  their  importance 
is  not  to  be  reckoned  by  mere  numbers. 

The  English-speaking  population  of  Mexico  City  is  about 
six  thousand,  of  which  a very  large  proportion  are  Ameri- 
cans. What  is  true  of  the  capital  is  also  true  of  the  country 
at  large,  and  throughout  Mexico  there  are  more  Americans 
than  any  other  foreign  nationality.  Within  the  past  dec- 
ade they  have  been  simply  swarming  in,  and  with  them 
have  come  millions  of  dollars  of  American  money,  which 
Mexico  is  destined  to  find  a serious  factor  some  day. 
Formerly,  Americans  were  engaged  simply  in  mining  and 
railway  building,  but  to-day  they  are  to  be  found  in  nearly 
every  branch  of  commerce.  In  Mexico  City  one  sees 
American  banks,  and  agencies  for  all  kinds  of  American 
goods,  such  as  sewing-machines,  typewriters  and  agricul- 
tural machinery;  there  are  American  grocers,  druggists, 
booksellers  and  fancy  goods  stores,  also  tailors,  hotels 

170 


THE  FOREIGN  INVASION 


171 


and  restaurants.  So  large  a number  of  Americans  are 
collected  in  the  capital  that  there  is  an  extensive  American 
quarter,  where  there  are  modern  houses  and  flats,  an  Ameri- 
can club  and  several  American  churches. 

During  the  winter  season  several  of  our  railway  com- 
panies advertise  Mexico  extensively  as  a winter  paradise. 
They  give  away  tens  of  thousands  of  beautifully  illustrated 
booklets  describing  the  wonders  of  the  land.  They  run 
cheap  excursion  trains  to  Mexico  and  bring  down  thousands 
of  sight-seeing  tourists,  most  of  whom  come  from  the  West- 
ern states.  The  newspapers  in  Mexico  City  publish,  every 
day,  lists  of  people  stopping  at  the  various  hotels.  I 
noticed  that  the  American  visitors  usually  came  from 
such  places  as  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  Tombstone,  Arizona, 
Cross  Roads,  Iowa,  or  Jaytown  City,  Neb.  To  most  of 
these  people  Mexico  must  certainly  seem  a land  of  won- 
ders; they  have  never  been  in  Europe,  and  for  the  first 
time  in  their  lives  they  see  old  churches,  cathedrals  and 
ruins,  and  mingle  among  people  who  have  a different  lan- 
guage and  strange  customs. 

When  I first  went  to  Mexico,  an  old  American  resident 
told  me  that  I should  find  it  a triste  or  melancholy  country, 
and  I really  believe  I should  have  found  it  so  had  it  not 
been  for  certai^  of  my  fellow-citizens  that  I met.  The 
Mexicans,  both  the  Indians  and  the  whites,  are  far  from 
lively  people,  and  their  often  sullen  faces  are  wont  to  de- 
press you ; but  many  W esterners  whom  I met  were  so  un- 
consciously humorous  that  they  kept  up  my  spirits. 

There  was,  however,  about  these  Western  people  an  air 
of  keen  mental  alertness  which  one  could  not  help  admiring. 
The  men  were  eager  for  information  concerning  the  re- 
sources of  Mexico,  the  business  opportunities  of  the  country 
and  the  chances  for  profitable  investment,  while  the  women 
displayed  equal  energy  in  their  sight-seeing  and  quest  for 


172 


MEXICO 


general  knowledge.  Some  business  women  whom  I en- 
countered knew  much  more  about  Mexico  than  the  average 
man,  and  could  talk  fluently  about  the  status  of  its  railways, 
its  mines  and  agricultural  developments. 

Among  such  a large  number  of  Western  tourists  as  annu- 
ally invade  Mexico  and  the  increasing  number  of  permanent 
settlers  from  the  Western  states,  it  is  not  surprising  if  there 
are  a great  many  rough  diamonds  whose  crude  behavior 
often  disgraces  their  country.  Unfortunately,  the  world 
at  large  often  hears  far  more  of  the  doings  of  such  people 
than  of  the  praiseworthy  demeanor  of  the  majority  of 
Americans  who  visit  Mexico  or  make  their  homes  there. 
In  the  capital,  and,  in  fact,  all  over  Mexico,  there  are  plenty 
of  Americans  who  would  be  a credit  to  any  country,  — cul- 
tured people  who  respect  Mexican  prejudices,  and  take 
the  trouble  to  learn  Spanish  thoroughly.  They  are  often- 
times ashamed  of  their  crude  countrymen,  much  resenting 
their  coarse  behavior,  which  reflects  so  unpleasantly  on 
Americans  in  general. 

An  American  newspaper  man,  for  instance,  told  me  that, 
while  travelling  with  a party  of  his  fellow-citizens  and 
walking  through  the  streets  of  a town,  they  heard  the  click 
of  a sewing-machine  in  a Mexican  house.  One  of  the  women 
tourists  walked  into  the  patio,  looked  into  the  sitting-room 
and  then  yelled  out  to  the  party,  ^^Why,  law  me,  theyVe 
actually  got  a sewing-machine  and  an  American  organ  in 
here.  Why,  they’re  quite  civilized.”  The  Mexican  family 
sat  dumfounded  with  indignation,  but  before  they  had  time 
to  express  it,  the  intruder  disappeared. 

Bad  as  such  cases  are,  however,  there  is  this  to  be  said, 
that  the  unpolished  American  tripper  is  rarely  so  offensive 
on  his  travels  as  the  low-class  Englishman  whom  one  so 
often  meets  in  continental  Europe.  There  is  usually  some- 
thing extremely  amusing  about  the  ^‘bad  breaks”  of  the 


THE  FOREIGN  INVASION 


173 


former,  and  they  are  always  made  with  such  naivete  and 
good  nature  that  you  half  forgive  them  because  of  the  hearty 
laugh  they  occasion.  On  the  other  hand,  the  antics  of  the 
English  ’Arry  abroad  are  almost  always  certain  to  excite 
wrath. 

One  very  gratifying  feature  of  life  in  Mexico  is  the 
thoroughly  good  feeling  which  exists  between  Englishmen 
and  Americans  resident  in  the  Republic.  The  ties  of  lan- 
guage and  race  seem  to  draw  them  together.  Not  only 
are  they  associated  very  closely  in  business  but  also  in  the 
social  life  of  the  country.  In  most  of  the  American  clubs 
Englishmen  and  Canadians  are  also  eligible  for  member- 
ship, and  the  fraternal  feeling  which  exists  between  the 
three  branches  of  the  English-speaking  world  shows  that 
no  paper  treaty  is  needed  to  bring  them  into  alliance. 

In  addition  to  the  American  business  men  and  tourists 
there  is  a numerous  class  of  Americans  in  Mexico  whom  I 
should  call  ^^men  with  schemes.”  They  hang  about  the 
American  saloons,  which  are  becoming  so  general,  and  are 
very  much  in  evidence  at  the  cheaper  American  hotels. 
Each  of  them  has  a scheme  with  millions  in  it.  Most  of 
them  carry  a chunk  of  gold  or  silver  ore  in  their  pockets, 
taken  from  some  mine  with  possibilities  of  enormous  wealth. 
If  you  enter  one  of  the  popular  loafing  places  and  listen  to 
the  conversation  of  these  men,  you  will  hear  millions  of 
dollars”  repeated  so  often  that  you  might  imagine  yourself 
at  a convention  of  the  world’s  plutocrats. 

I was  seated  in  the  patio  of  the  Iturbide  Hotel  one  day, 
discussing  mining  with  a friend.  He  left  me  for  a moment, 
and  a rather  seedy-looking  individual,  with  a strong  Western 
accent,  sauntered  up.  Excuse  me,  friend,”  he  said,  ^^but 
I overheard  you  talking  about  mines.  Now,  I’ve  got  a little 
piece  of  property  away  down  in  Guerrero  which  is  worth 
millions  to  any  man  who  puts  in  a few  dollars.”  Here  he 


174 


MEXICO 


produced  the  inevitable  piece  of  silver  ore  from  his  pocket. 

suppose,”  he  continued,  ^^you  ain’t  acquainted  with  no 
New  York  capitalists  as  would  like  to  go  in  on  a good  thing. 
If  you  could  get  just  a few  of  your  Eastern  millionaires  in- 
terested, there  would  be  something  in  it  for  you  as  well  as 
me.”  I was  obliged  shamefacedly  to  confess  to  my  would- 
be  benefactor  that  my  acquaintance  with  millionaires  was 
exceedingly  limited,  and  that  investors  usually  required 
better  credentials  than  a small  piece  of  silver  ore. 

Most  Americans  have  a firm  impression  that  Mexicans 
love  the  United  States  and  that  ill-will  towards  us  has 
practically  disappeared.  Impartial  observers  have,  how- 
ever, assured  me  that  a strong  anti-American  feeling  exists 
in  some  quarters,  for  which  there  are  several  reasons.  In 
the  first  place,  many  Americans  in  Mexico  are  much  given 
to  boasting  that  American  capital  is  getting  control  of  all 
the  best  mines  and  otherwise  acquiring  a great  hold  on  the 
country.  To  this  is  added  the  bragging  of  the  low-class 
American  — only  too  common  in  Mexico  — who  calls  the 
Mexican  ^^a  greaser,”  and  is  always  asserting  that  a few 
hundred  Americans  could  beat  the  Mexican  army  and  con- 
quer the  land. 

An  American  resident  told  me  that  while  he  was  lunching 
one  day  in  a Mexico  City  restaurant,  he  heard  a party  of 
Westerners  discussing  the  country  in  very  uncomplimentary 
terms.  One  of  them  seemed  to  be  interested  in  a mining 
company,  which  he  thought  had  been  unjustly  treated  by 
the  Mexican  government.  ^‘If  these  d — d greasers  don’t 
let  up  on  this  sort  of  thing,”  he  said,  ^‘we  Americans  will 
have  to  teach  them  another  lesson.  Why,  man,  we  could 
march  a few  regiments  down  here  from  Texas  alone,  and 
whip  the  everlasting  stuffing  out  of  them.”  At  a neighbor- 
ing table  sat  some  young  Mexicans,  two  of  them  sons  of 
cabinet  ministers,  and  all  understanding  English  perfectly. 


THE  FOREIGN  INVASION 


175 


From  their  looks  they  did  not  seem  to  exactly  relish  the 
American’s  remarks. 

Mexicans  retaliate  for  this  whenever  the  chance  offers. 
They  call  Americans  gringos,”  a term  which  is  said  to 
have  arisen  during  the  war  with  the  United  States  in  1846. 
Some  Mexicans  heard  the  American  sailors  singing,  Green 
grow  the  rashes  0,”  and  tried  to  mock  them,  Gringo” 
being  the  result.  They  also  get  even  in  more  unpleasant 
ways.  A German  of  my  acquaintance  was  summoned  as 
a witness  in  a lawsuit  to  testify  to  a man’s  character.  The 
judge  said  to  him,  ^^You  are  an  American,  senor.”  ^^No,” 
replied  the  German,  stating  his  nationality.  ^^Oh,  that’s 
very  different,”  said  the  judge.  He  then  apologized  for 
summoning  him,  put  a few  questions  and  told  him  he  was 
at  liberty  to  go,  adding  more  apologies.  A friend  of  his, 
an  American,  was  next  called.  What  is  your  nationality, 
senor?”  asked  the  judge.  am  an  American,”  was  the 
reply.  The  judge  put  on  a very  severe  look,  asked  all  sorts 
of  unpleasant  questions,  and  kept  the  poor  fellow  on  the 
rack  for  about  an  hour. 

Mexicans,  in  fact,  are  becoming  so  jealous  and  suspicious 
of  Americans  that  it  is  likely  that  this  may  serve  to  put  a 
check  on  any  revolutionary  excesses  which  might  lead  to 
American  intervention.  It  is  estimated  that  the  United 
States  has  about  $600,000,000  invested  in  Mexico,  the  inter- 
ests of  Great  Britain  and  France  being  equally  as  large, 
while  Germany  and  other  countries  also  have  large  sums  at 
stake.  If  the  present  civil  war  should  result  in  general 
anarchy,  coupled  with  the  destruction  of  foreign  property 
and  the  killing  of  foreigners,  the  United  States  would  be 
compelled  to  march  an  army  across  the  border  to  restore 
order;  otherwise,  the  European  powers  would  certainly 
adopt  summary  measures  in  spite  of  the  Monroe  doctrine. 
Intelligent  Mexicans  realize  this  very  thoroughly. 


176 


MEXICO 


During  the  long  administration  of  President  Diaz  the 
relations  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States  were  re- 
markably harmonious.  Every  year  witnessed  a more 
pronounced  Americanization  of  Mexico^  more  American 
settlers  poured  into  the  country  than  ever  before,  and  their 
numbers  and  influence  were  constantly  becoming  more 
formidable.  Old  prejudices  were  gradually  disappearing. 
Under  such  conditions  it  seemed  possible  that  within 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years  Mexico  might  become  peace- 
fully annexed  to  the  United  States.  The  events  of  the 
past  four  years,  however,  have  wrought  many  changes 
and  have  served  to  reveal  such  a strong  undercurrent  of 
anti-Americanism  in  Mexico  that  it  is  fairly  safe  to  predict 
that  if  annexation  ever  takes  place  in  this  generation,  it 
will  have  to  be  accomplished  by  force. 

In  France  every  person  who  speaks  English  is  called 
English.  I have  seen  Parisian  gamins  point  at  American 
tourists  and  heard  them  remark,  ^^Regardez  les  Anglais.’^ 
That  is  because  there  are  more  English  than  Americans 
in  Paris.  In  Mexico  it  is  just  the  reverse.  There  are  more 
Americans  than  English,  and  consequently  every  person 
who  speaks  English  is  called  an  American.  The  natives 
cannot  detect  any  difference.  I was  once  walking  through 
the  Plaza  in  the  capital  when  I heard  an  Englishman,  who 
owned  an  awful  Cockney  accent,  abusing  a cabman  for 
overcharging  him,  and  dropping  more  h^s  than  centavos. 
One  of  a party  of  Mexican  loafers  standing  near  by,  pointed 
at  the  Britisher  and  remarked,  ‘^El  Americano  no  le  gusta 
perder  su  dinero  ’’  (The  American  doesnT  like  to  lose  his 
money) . 

Americans  are  not  only  gradually  Americanizing  Mexico, 
but  they  are  also  altering  the  names  of  Mexican  towns  and 
districts.  The  Spaniards  abbreviated  many  of  the  Indian 
names  after  the  Conquest,  and  now  the  Americans  are  mak- 


THE  FOBEIGN  INVASION 


17T 


ing  them  still  shorter.  For  example,  the  City  of  Mexico 
is  now  generally  called  Mexico  City  by  English-speaking 
people.  The  name  certainly  has  the  virtue  of  being  more 
concise.  Mexicans  simply  call  the  city  Mexico.  Popo- 
catepetl, a difficult  name  to  pronounce,  has  been  shortened 
by  Americans  to  Popo.”  Ixtaccihuatl  is  known  as  Ixy.^^ 
Some  day  Guanajuato  and  Guadalajara  will  probably  be 
known  as  ^^Wahno’^  and  ^^Wadly.’’ 

The  other  foreign  peoples  in  Mexico  are  chiefly  Spanish, 
French,  German  and  English,  and  in  a proportion  accord- 
ing to  that  order.  Of  course  the  foreign  element  is  more 
noticeable  in  the  capital  than  in  the  rest  of  the  country. 
The  Spaniards  in  Mexico  are  chiefly  engaged  in  the  grocery 
trade;  the  French  confine  themselves  to  drapery,  the  sale 
of  fancy  articles,  tailoring  and  dressmaking;  the  Germans 
are  bankers,  and  have  almost  a monopoly  of  the  hardware 
trade.  The  cheap  German-made  goods  are  eagerly  bought. 
I myself  purchased  a pocket-knife  which  attracted  me  by 
the  somewhat  pretty  medallion  let  into  the  handle,  dis- 
playing the  face  of  a dark-eyed  senorita.  I thought  I had 
captured  an  example  of  Mexican  industry,  but  my  delusion 
did  not  last  long.  During  my  travels  I happened  to  meet 
a German  drummer,”  and  on  showing  him  this  knife  as  a 
specimen  of  Mexican  skill  he  burst  out  laughing.  ^'Vy, 
mein  friendt,”  he  said,  I sold  dose  knives.  Dey  vas  made 
by  mein  firm  in  Berlin.” 

The  trade  of  Mexico  is  to-day  chiefly  controlled  by  the 
United  States  and  Germany,  the  latter  country  having 
of  late  shown  wonderful  enterprise.  German  drummers 
are  encountered  almost  everywhere,  all  of  them  speaking 
Spanish  fluently.  The  catalogues  of  German  firms,  too, 
are  always  printed  in  Spanish,  the  prices  given  in  Mexican 
currency,  and  the  goods  are  specially  designed  for  Mexican 
trade.  British  trade  was  once  supreme  in  Mexico,  but  owing 


178 


MEXICO 


to  lack  of  proper  methods  on  the  part  of  English  firms,  this 
proud  position  has  long  been  lost. 

With  decreased  business  interests  the  British  colony  in 
the  capital  is  naturally  a small  one,  chiefly  comprising  the 
managers  of  several  important  British  companies  and  their 
subordinates.  But  while  British  influence  in  Mexico  has 
thus  declined,  that  of  Canada,  strangely  enough,  has  cor- 
respondingly increased.  Canada’s  stake  in  the  country  has 
recently  become  so  large  in  mines  and  other  enterprises, 
in  fact,  that  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  appoint  a 
Canadian  commercial  agent  whose  duty  it  is  to  safeguard 
Canada’s  vested  interests  and  to  report  to  the  Dominion 
government  on  openings  for  capital,  etc.  The  great 
Electric  Light  and  Power  Company,  which  supplies  Mexico 
City,  is  a Canadian  corporation.  Canadian  banks  are 
rapidly  extending  their  business  in  the  country,  and  Cana- 
dians share  with  Americans  the  financing  of  the  electric 
and  street  railway  business.  A Canadian  company  owns 
the  Mexico  City  street-car  lines,  and  Canadian  investors 
are  now  taking  a leading  interest  in  water-power  schemes. 

The  Mexican  is  not  born  to  be  a business  man.  He  is 
not  possessed  of  any  gifts  of  invention  or  initiative,  and 
he  detests  the  hustle  and  worry  of  commercial  life.  Nearly 
all  commerce  is,  therefore,  in  the  hands  of  foreigners.  All 
the  modern  improvements  in  Mexico  have  been  established 
by  them  and  with  their  capital. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  remarked  that  a fact  which 
impresses  most  visitors  in  Mexico  is  the  number  of  foreign 
clerks  that  are  employed  in  American,  English  and  Canadian 
offices,  oftentimes  in  places  where  it  would  seem  that 
Mexicans  would  do  much  better.  Many  of  the  foreign 
firms  which  employ  young  Mexicans  complain,  however, 
that  they  are  lazy  and  frivolous.  Of  course  there  is  a great 
deal  in  the  point  of  view;  and  perhaps  a Frenchman,  an 


THE  FOREIGN  INVASION 


179 


Italian  or  a Spaniard  of  the  same  Latin  race  would  not  find 
these  young  fellows  so  light-headed  and  inefficient  as  do 
Anglo-Saxons.  It  is  also  true  that  many  young  Mexicans 
who  have  been  educated  in  England  or  the  United  States 
are  attaining  a high  position  in  the  professional  and  busi- 
ness life  of  the  Republic.  Nevertheless,  the  fact  remains 
that  most  of  the  younger  natives  think  too  much  about 
sefioritas,  bull-fights  and  gambling  and  too  little  about 
their  work ; in  short,  they  do  not  take  life  seriously  enough. 
An  American  railway  manager  said  to  me : It  is  impossible 

to  get  a young  Mexican  to  assume  any  responsibility  or  take 
any  initiative.  He  has  to  be  told  the  same  thing  over  and 
over  again.  I would  rather  have  one  bright  young  Ameri- 
can in  my  office  than  three  average  Mexicans.” 

The  exports  of  Mexico  are  mainly  silver,  gold,  copper 
and  other  minerals;  hemp,  mahogany,  cedar  and  dye- 
woods,  tobacco,  coffee,  hides,  india-rubber,  fruit,  vanilla, 
etc.  Those  who  have  not  travelled  in  the  country  can  have 
no  conception  of  its  marvellous  richness.  Possessing  every 
range  of  climate,  and  soils  capable  of  producing  every 
variety  of  fruit,  vegetable  and  flower ; with  mineral  wealth 
of  amazing  extent ; and  with  vast  areas  peculiarly  adapted 
for  sheep  and  cattle,  it  is  indeed  a land  of  wonders.  But 
although  so  potentially  wealthy,  Mexico  is  still  in  her  in- 
fancy as  regards  the  development  of  her  resources.  The 
success  of  foreign  companies  and  the  large  and  steady  divi- 
dends they  are  able  to  pay  are  proving  that  the  land  of  the 
Aztecs  is  a profitable  field  for  investment.  It  must  year 
by  year  become  more  so;  but  a fraction  of  its  wondrous 
resources  have  been  tapped,  and  under  its  present  firm 
government  the  country  is  always  going  forward  and  must 
have  a magnificent  destiny. 

An  interesting  feature  of  Mexico  is  the  number  of  children 
of  American  and  English  parentage  who  are  growing  up 


MEXICO 


180 

* 

all  over  the  country,  and  are  bound  to  exercise  a good  in- 
fluence on  its  future.  Born  and  educated  in  Mexico,  they 
are  likely  to  make  their  homes  there;  and  as  they  speak 
both  English  and  Spanish,  the  Mexican  children  with  whom 
they  play  imbibe  their  ideas  of  freedom  and  progress. 
Some  of  the  Mexicans  holding  a high  position  in  the  republic 
are  of  British  or  American  descent,  notably  Senor  Creel,  the 
former  Mexican  Ambassador  to  the  United  States,  and  Senor 
Pankhurst,  who  was  Governor  of  Zacatecas  under  Diaz. 

Very  few  English  or  Americans  marry  Mexican  women, 
but  a large  number  of  Germans  do  so.  The  Germans  affiliate 
with  the  Mexicans  much  better  than  do  the  English  or 
Americans,  one  reason  for  which  is  that  they  go  to  Mexico 
to  establish  their  permanent  residence  there,  while  most 
Americans  and  Englishmen  wish  only  to  make  their  fortunes 
and  then  to  return  to  their  native  lands.  While  travelling 
in  Mexico  I frequently  heard  little  Teutons  — boys  and 
girls  — with  flaxen  hair  and  blue  eyes,  speaking  Spanish 
fluently.  They  were  the  children  of  Germans  with  Mexican 
wives.  These  German-Mexican  children  usually  speak 
three  languages,  German,  Spanish  and  English;  but  they 
seem  to  become  much  more  Mexicanized  than  the  American 
or  English  children  brought  up  in  Mexico.  All  the  Euro- 
pean children  of  whole  or  half  blood  reared  in  Mexico  appear 
to  suffer  from  the  climate,  having  a general  look  of  sickli- 
ness, with  pale,  colorless  faces. 

Mexico  is  a tempting  land  for  the  business  man,  as  it 
offers  him  large  profits,  for  the  most  part  easily  made.  The 
salaries,  too,  for  commercial  clerks  and  skilled  laborers, 
engineers,  etc.,  are  a great  deal  higher  than  those  obtainable 
in  Europe.  On  the  other  hand,  the  cost  of  living  is  far 
greater.  For  the  unskilled  worker,  the  mere  clerk  or  the 
day  laborer,  Mexico  offers  no  opportunities.  The  man 
who  has  the  best  chance  there  is  the  small  capitalist  with 


THE  FOREIGN  INVASION 


181 


about  ten  thousand  dollars,  who  is  careful  in  his  invest- 
ments. At  first  he  must  work  harder  than  he  would  at 
home;  but  if  he  is  steady,  he  will  scarcely  fail  to  get  on. 
First  of  all  he  must  learn  the  ways  of  the  country  and  to 
speak  Spanish.  Of  the  easier  ways  of  making  money  the 
best  are  storekeeping,  any  sound  manufacture,  cattle-rais- 
ing, timber,  tobacco,  sugar  and  coffee,  fruit  farms,  rubber 
and  mining.  The  country  is  so  vast  and  the  districts  which 
are  being  opened  up  by  the  railways  are  so  fertile  and  so 
rich  in  minerals  that  there  is  an  almost  unlimited  demand 
for  foreign  capital  throughout  Mexico. 

During  my  stay  in  Mexico  I came  across  some  wonderful 
instances  of  men  of  small  means  having  become  wealthy. 
One  of  the  leading  bankers  of  Mexico  City,  a Canadian,  was 
formerly  a railway  conductor,  and  is  now  one  of  the  richest 
men  in  the  country.  Another  Canadian,  who  is  the  lead- 
ing druggist  in  the  capital,  and  has  stores  all  over  Mexico, 
came  down  only  a few  years  ago  with  a small  stock  of 
patent  medicines  and  started  in  a humble  way.  The  pro- 
prietor of  the  biggest  hardware  establishment  — equalling 
any  store  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States  — is  an  enter- 
prising German  who  was  a drummer  only  a short  time  ago. 
A clerk  who  had  a salary  of  a hundred  dollars  a month  and 
bought  a small  mining  property  which  proved  to  be  a bo- 
nanza is  now  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  southern  Mexico. 

The  Mexican  laws  affecting  investors  are  generous  and, 
as  a rule,  are  fairly  administered,  everything  possible  being 
done  to  avoid  prejudicing  foreign  interests.  If,  therefore, 
Americans  only  realized  the  opportunities  Mexico  affords 
for  the  investment  of  capital  there  would  soon  be  so  much 
money  forthcoming  from  this  country  that  our  national 
stake  in  Mexico’s  prosperity  would  be  even  greater  than  it 
already  is. 

There  are  several  foreign  quarters  in  Mexico  City,  the 


182 


MEXICO 


largest  of  these  being  the  American,  already  referred  to, 
which  is  situated  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Paseo  de  la  Reforma. 
In  and  about  this  quarter  most  of  the  English  and  Canadians 
also  reside  and  fraternize  with  the  Americans.  The  Mexi- 
can Herald  devotes  almost  a page  every  day  to  the  doings 
of  the  American  colony,  its  dances,  receptions  and  other  so- 
cial functions.  There  are  also  German,  Italian  and  French 
quarters,  but  not  so  much  is  heard  of  them.  All  along  the 
Paseo  wide  asphalted  streets  are  being  laid  out,  planted 
with  grass-plots  and  double  rows  of  trees.  Three  new 
districts,  known  as  the  Colonia  Reforma,  the  Colonia  Roma 
and  Colonia  Santa  Maria,  have  been  built  up  with  American 
capital,  and  during  the  past  ten  years  the  value  of  land  has 
advanced  nearly  a thousand  per  cent,  many  lucky  investors 
having  made  large  fortunes. 

Strange  to  say,  very  few  of  the  modern  houses  have  fire- 
places or  any  other  system  of  heating.  Americans,  who 
always  have  their  houses  well  heated  at  home,  evidently 
prefer  to  follow  the  Mexican  custom  and  sit  about  shiver- 
ing. I heard  a good  story  of  a young  Englishman  who 
occupied  a flat  in  the  American  colony,  and,  determin- 
ing to  be  comfortable,  installed  an  American  stove.  His 
rooms  were  so  cosey  that  his  friends  increased  rapidly;  men 
got  into  the  habit  of  saying,  Let’s  go  round  to  Smith’s 
place,  it’s  so  comfortable.”  The  Briton  had  only  a small 
income,  but  he  fell  in  love  with  a wealthy  American’s  daugh- 
ter. When  she  broke  the  news  to  her  stern  parent,  to  her 
surprise,  he  said,  Marry  him,  my  daughter,  with  my 
blessing.  I like  that  young  fellow.  He  knows  enough  to 
make  a comfortable  home  for  himself,  and  he  is  bound  to 
make  one  for  his  wife.”  The  truth  was  that  the  old  gentle- 
man had  been  one  of  the  most  frequent  callers  at  Smith’s 
flat  on  cold  nights,  and  was  determined  not  to  lose  such  a 
comfortable  lounging  place. 


THE  FOREIGN  INVASION 


183 


An  outgrowth  of  American  social  life  in  the  capital  is 
the  Country  Club^  which  has  a fine  club-house  at  Cheru- 
busco,  a beautiful  suburb.  It  stands  in  the  midst  of  large 
grounds  and  on  the  borders  of  a lake,  clear  as  crystal,  fed 
from  an  artesian  well.  While  the  golf  links  are  the  chief 
attraction,  cricket,  tennis,  football  and  other  sports  are 
enjoyed. 

American  business  men  have  an  American  business  club 
in  the  city,  and  English  residents  have  established  the 
British  Club.  Football  matches  between  American  and 
English  teams  formed  of  members  of  the  two  clubs  fre- 
quently take  place  during  the  winter  season.  The  Germans 
have  the  finest  men’s  club,  a large  new  building  with  a 
splendid  gymnasium,  a bowling  alley,  a beer  hall,  and 
other  Teutonic  attractions.  The  Spaniards  and  French 
also  have  their  clubs,  the  largest  Spanish  club  being  the 
Casino  Espanol,  with  eight  hundred  members,  which  occu- 
pies a fine  old  mansion,  rivalling  the  famous  Jockey  Club. 
Even  the  Chinese  have  established  a club  of  their  own, 
which  has  a membership  of  nearly  four  hundred. 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  WHITE  man’s  BURDEN-BEARER 

Wherever  the  traveller  goes  in  Mexico,  he  finds  himself 
face  to  face  with  the  Indian  peon,  the  laborer  of  the  country, 
who  is  a distinctive  feature  of  Mexican  life.  One  sees  him 
in  the  cities  in  his  ragged  clothing  and  tattered  sarape, 
bearing  heavy  burdens  through  the  streets,  carrying  loads 
of  bricks  up  among  the  scaffoldings  of  new  buildings,  or, 
as  an  itinerant  vendor,  hawking  his  fruit,  charcoal  and  other 
commodities.  In  the  country  districts  the  peon  is  the  farm 
laborer,  and  in  the  mines  he  can  be  seen  bringing  out  the 
heavy  loads  of  gold  and  silver  ore  which  make  dividends 
for  foreign  investors. 

Although  the  real  natives  of  Mexico,  the  great  masses, 
are  called  Indians,  the  name  gives  a very  erroneous  im- 
pression to  the  average  reader.  The  term  Indian  ” usually 
calls  up  a mental  picture  of  a North  American  red  man  with 
painted  face  and  feathered  head-dress;  whereas,  there  is 
almost  as  much  difference  between  the  Mexican  and  North 
American  Indians  as  there  is  between  an  Esquimau  and 
an  Arab.  Instead  of  being  hunters,  as  were  their  fiercer 
neighbors  in  the  North,  the  Mexican  Indians  have  always 
been  an  agricultural  people. 

At  the  time  of  the  Conquest,  Mexico  was  inhabited  by 
several  Indian  nations  under  separate  governments,  and 
all  speaking  different  dialects.  The  Aztecs,  for  instance, 
held  the  Valley  of  Mexico  under  Montezuma;  the  Tlax- 
calans  formed  a Republic  around  what  is  now  the  City  of 

184 


THE  WHITE  man's  BURDEN-BEAEER 


185 


Puebla;  the  Zapotecs  were  all-powerful  in  southern  Mexico. 
Even  to-day  there  are  no  less  than  forty  tribes  and  their 
branches,  speaking,  it  is  said,  some  one  hundred  and  fifty 
different  languages;  and  while  most  of  these  people  also 
speak  a crude  Spanish,  there  are  districts  where  little  if 
any  Spanish  is  understood.  It  is  said  that  within  a short 
distance  of  Mexico  City  there  are  still  surviving  full-blooded 
descendants  of  the  Aztecs,  speaking  a language  which  is 
almost  the  pure  ancient  tongue.  All  these  Indian  tribes 
suffered  subjection  at  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards,  and  were 
lumped  together  under  the  term  of  peons,”  which  literally 
meant  slaves.  Their  descendants,  suffering  from  the  evil 
effects  of  previous  generations  of  slavery  and  degradation, 
form  the  bulk  of  the  lower  classes  in  modern  Mexico.  The 
name  peon  ” still  clings  to  them,  for  although  Mexico  abol- 
ished slavery  long  ago,  the  peons  of  to-day  are  often  noth- 
ing but  bondsmen. 

Just  as  their  languages  differ,  so,  too,  the  physical  ap- 
pearance of  the  Mexican  Indians  is  often  dissimilar.  One 
tribe  will  have  the  typical  angular  face  and  high  cheek- 
bones of  the  Mongolian  peoples,  with  the  small,  straight 
nose  which  one  sees  in  a Malay.  Another  Indian,  from  a 
different  part  of  the  country,  will  have  a round  face  and 
a broad,  bridgeless  nose,  and  a mouth  often  large,  with 
full  lips.  On  the  other  hand,  two  or  three  tribes,  such  as 
the  Yaquis,  a wild,  unconquered  race  living  in  Sonora  in 
northern  Mexico,  have  the  dark  skin  and  coarse  features 
of  the  mulatto.  The  great  mass  of  the  Indians  in  central 
Mexico,  however,  and  especially  those  seen  in  and  about 
the  capital,  usually  have  intensely  black  hair  and  eyes, 
yellowish  brown  complexions  and  are  slight  in  stature, 
bearing  a strong  resemblance  to  Japanese  peasants,  some- 
times even  having  a slight  obliquity  of  the  eyes.  In  some 
of  the  tribes  one  is  much  impressed  with  this  likeness  to 


186 


MEXICO 


the  Chinese  or  Japanese,  and  it  is  certainly  a fact  that  if 
the  Orientals  were  dressed  in  Mexican  style  they  might 
easily  pass  for  Indians.  It  is  said  that  students  of  languages 
have  found  some  resemblance  between  the  Mexican  tongues 
and  various  languages  of  the  Far  East.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
there  is  much  in  Mexico  which  suggests  very  close  ties  with 
the  Orient,  and  some  of  the  ancient  sculptures  apparently 
show  distinct  Chinese  features. 

In  no  part  of  the  Republic  is  there  a more  remarkable 
physical  difference  among  the  Indians  than  is  to  be  found 
among  the  Mayans  of  Yucatan,  their  appearance  being  very 
different  from  that  of  the  typical  Mexican  Indian.  They 
are  of  a red,  bricky  tint,  are  much  darker  than  the  others, 
also  a good  deal  shorter,  broad-headed,  muscular  and 
usually  have  quite  a remarkable  development  of  the  chest. 
They  are  characterized,  too,  by  a very  sunny  disposition. 
Nothing  is  easier  than  to  make  a Mayan  laugh,  while  it 
would  seemingly  be  a hopeless  task  to  get  a smile  from  the 
sullen,  sad  faces  of  most  of  the  other  Mexican  Indians  one 
sees  at  work  or  at  play. 

The  Mayans  had,  it  is  declared,  reached  quite  a high 
state  of  civilization  when  the  Spaniards  came.  It  is  a 
historical  fact  that  the  conquest  of  Yucatan  cost  the 
Spaniards  more  in  blood  and  treasure  than  did  the  rest  of 
Mexico.  To  the  Mayans  are  attributed  the  very  remarkable 
ruins  in  Yucatan.  At  the  time  of  the  conquest  they  had 
a system  of  writing,  had  made  some  advances  in  literature, 
and  in  their  temples  were  great  numbers  of  manuscripts. 
These  were  ruthlessly  destroyed  by  the  Spaniards  in  their 
efforts  to  stamp  out  Mayan  civilization,  and  the  historical 
records  of  the  race  were  thus  lost.  The  Mayan  language, 
however,  is  still  spoken  by  three  hundred  thousand  people, 
and  many  of  the  white  inhabitants  of  Yucatan  use  it  to 
a greater  extent  than  Spanish. 


THE  ANCIENT  RACE. 

Types  of  Mexican  Indians,  young  and  old. 


THE  WHITE  MAN'S  BURDEN-BEAEER  187 

The  various  Indian  races  in  Mexico  to-day  number  many 
millions^  those  of  pure  blood  constituting  one-third  of  the 
population,  while  fully  half  the  Mexicans  are  those  of  mixed 
blood  known  as  meztizos.  Many  Indians  of  pure  blood 
and  a still  greater  number  of  meztizos  have  played  an  im- 
portant part  in  Mexican  history.  Several  Mexican  presi- 
dents, among  whom  were  Guerrero  and  Juarez,  were  pure 
Indians,  while  the  majority  of  the  others  were  half-breeds. 

It  is  from  this  great  Indian  population  that  the  peon,  the 
Mexican  workingman,  has  been  evolved,  and  Mexico  could 
not  do  vdthout  him.  He  not  only  cultivates  the  soil,  works 
in  the  mines  and  does  all  the  hard  labor,  but  he  also  acts 
as  servant.  Despite  his  many  faults,  he  has  some  wonder- 
fully good  qualities.  Even  if  he  is  not  naturally  cleanly 
or  naturally  honest,  there  is  a charm  all  his  own  in  the 
simple,  whole-hearted  way  in  which  he  accepts  his  sub- 
ordinate position.  Always  polite,  and  incapable  of  taking 
a liberty,  always  with  his  hat  in  his  hand,  the  Indian  has 
nothing  but  respect  to  show  you,  if  you  give  him  the  hum- 
ble wage  he  claims,  a half  holiday  now  and  again,  and  per- 
mission to  attend  any  and  every  fiesta  celebrated  in  his 
village.  Notwithstanding  his  dirt,  his  tattered  clothes, 
his  battered  sombrero  and  his  filthy  blanket,  the  Mexican 
Indian  is  one  of  nature’s  gentlemen,  if  he  is  only  treated 
properly. 

But  he  has  his  faults,  and  they  are  faults  which  have 
seriously  checked  progress  in  Mexico.  He  is  essential  to 
agriculture,  yet  his  tropical  surroundings  and  his  mental 
characteristics  unfit  him  for  energetic  work  or  the  adoption 
of  modern  improvements.  As  a farmer  the  Indian  is  a 
rank  failure.  He  brings  no  intelligence  to  his  work.  His 
ancestors  hundreds  of  years  ago  scratched  the  soil  with 
a wooden  hoe,  and  he  is  content  enough  to  go  on  with  the 
same  implement.  If  a society  were  formed  for  presenting 


188 


MEXICO 


every  Indian  peon  with  a modern  plough,  it  would  do  no 
good ; he  wouldn’t  care  to  use  it,  and  he  wouldn’t  use  it. 
His  ideal  of  life  is  to  be  idle ; he  does  not  want  to  struggle ; 
he  does  not  want  to  fight;  he  only  desires  his  little  mud- 
brick  hut,  his  piece  of  ground,  his  pig,  his  tortillas  and  his 
frijoles.  Furniture  he  does  not  need,  as  his  household 
goods  are  generally  limited  to  a tin  can  for  boiling  water 
or  cooking,  a couple  of  stones  for  making  tortillas,  a few 
picturesque  jars  made  by  the  native  potters  and  a few 
old  sacks  to  sleep  on.  His  wants  being  easily  supplied, 
there  is  really  no  incentive  for  him  to  be  progressive.  He 
cannot  read  or  write,  is  unable  to  think,  and  his  mode  of 
life  is  primeval  in  its  simplicity. 

The  Indian  in  the  tropical  region  of  Mexico  is  especially 
slothful.  All  he  needs  is  enough  to  eat,  a thatched  hut  and 
a little  cotton  cloth.  The  hut  he  can  make  himself ; there 
are  fish  in  the  river  and  game  in  the  forest.  There  is 
plenty  of  unoccupied  land  upon  which  he  can  raise  a little 
maize  for  food  or  to  trade  for  such  simple  luxuries  as  coffee, 
sugar  and  tobacco.  There  is  no  winter  to  provide  against, 
and  though  rainy  days  often  come,  they  only  mean  more 
rest.  Consequently,  the  tropical  Indian  is  seldom  a hireling. 

Mentally  and  physically  lethargic,  the  peon  of  central 
Mexico  has  been  for  years  little  more  than  a slave,  in  spite 
of  his  very  slender  wants.  The  system  which  is  called 
peonage  is  very  subtle  and  it  is  very  simple.  The  peon 
receives  so  scant  a wage  that  he  has  nothing  left  after  his 
humble  wants  have  been  satisfied.  He  usually  earns  from 
fifteen  to  fifty  cents  a day,  and  being  very  improvident 
is  always  without  money.  On  all  the  haciendas  or  large 
estates  he  is  compelled  to  deal  at  the  hacienda  store,  being 
encouraged  to  be  extravagant  in  his  orders.  This  is  de- 
liberate on  the  part  of  the  proprietors,  the  haciendados, 
because,  by  the  law  of  Mexico,  as  long  as  an  Indian  workman 


THE  WHITE  man's  BURDEN-BEARER 


189 


owes  his  employer  a dollar  he  is  the  latter’s  chattel,  and  must 
go  on  working  for  him  till  he  has  paid  off  his  debt. 

But  the  haciendado  takes  great  care  that  the  debt  is  never 
paid  off,  and  as  very  few  Indians  on  big  estates  are  allowed 
to  owe  less  than  twenty  dollars,  the  haciendado  may  feel 
quite  easy  in  his  mind  about  his  human  property.  If  the 
estate  changes  hands,  the  debt  is  sold  to  the  new  master, 
the  peons  passing  into  his  possession  just  as  would  the  cattle 
in  the  farmyard  when  stock  was  being  sold.  As  against 
this  tyranny,  one  must  remember  that  the  haciendado  has 
to  furnish  medical  attendance,  pay  fees  on  marriages,  burials, 
etc.,  and  that  when  he  is  old  the  peon  must  be  looked  after 
and  given  the  necessities  of  life.  It  is  therefore  as  much 
to  the  advantage  of  the  employer  to  keep  the  peon  in  good 
health  as  it  is  in  the  interest  of  a sheep  farmer  to  keep  his 
flocks  from  foot-rot,  so  that,  after  all  is  said  and  done,  the 
easy-going,  sweet-mannered  peon  is  little  more  than  a beast 
of  burden. 

But  if  he  is  cheap,  the  peon  needs  humoring.  He  will 
only  work  in  one  way,  the  most  laborious,  old-fashioned 
and  slow  way,  and  he  will  not  work  even  in  that  way  unless 
he  is  watched.  Then,  too,  he  is  obdurate  in  the  matter 
of  fiestas.  The  Mexican  calendar  fairly  bristles  with 
fiestas  and  saints’  days,  and  as  the  main  feature  of  these 
celebrations  is  an  indulgence  in  such  cheap  spirits  as  tequila 
and  mescal,  the  peon  insists  on  knocking  off  work  and  tak- 
ing part  in  them.  Sunday,  of  course,  is  also  a day  of  rest, 
and  most  peons  need  Monday  to  recover  from  the  effects 
of  the  libations  of  the  Sabbath.  Therefore  the  average 
Indian  will  probably  not  do  more  than  two  hundred  days’ 
work  in  the  year. 

Although  so  conscientious  in  keeping  the  various  holy 
days  of  the  Catholic  church,  the  religion  of  the  average  peon 
is  usually  intermixed  with  the  grossest  superstition,  and 


190 


MEXICO 


amounts  to  sheer  idolatry.  Various  shrines,  pictures  and 
statues  are  believed  by  him  to  possess  supernatural  powers, 
and  he  worships  them  with  a remarkable  intensity  of  de- 
votion. While  displaying  all  this  reverence  for  the  emblems 
of  Christianity,  it  is  said  that  the  Indians  in  some  remote 
villages  also  worship  their  ancient  idols,  and  sometimes 
sacrifice  lambs  or  fowls  to  win  the  favor  or  appease  the 
wrath  of  these  pagan  deities.  The  priests  try  to  put  a stop 
to  these  practices,  but  they  still  continue.  Passion  plays, 
flagellation  and  other  mediaeval  religious  customs  flourish 
among  the  Indian  population,  to  whom  the  weird  and 
horrible  always  strongly  appeal.  As  an  instance  of  this, 
F.  Hopkinson  Smith  thus  describes  a penitential  scene 
which  he  witnessed  in  a Mexican  church:  score  of 

Indian  women,”  he  says,  were  kneeling  upon  mats  of  green 
rushes  spread  on  the  stone  floor  of  the  church,  their  cheeks 
hollow  from  fasting,  and  their  eyes  glistening  with  that 
strange  glassy  look  peculiar  to  half-starved  people.  Over 
their  shoulders  were  twisted  black  rebosas,  and  round  each 
head  was  bound  a veritable  crown  of  thorns.  In  their 
hands  they  held  a scourge  of  plaited  needles.  They  had 
sat  there  day  and  night,  without  moving,  for  nearly  a week. 
This  terrible  ceremony  occurs  once  a year  in  Passion  week. 
The  penance  lasts  eight  days.  Each  penitent  pays  a sum 
of  money  for  the  privilege,  and  her  name  and  number  is 
then  inscribed  upon  a sort  of  tally  board  which  is  hung  on 
the  cloister  wall.  Upon  this  is  also  kept  a record  of  the 
punishment.  The  penitents  supply  their  blankets  and , 
pillows  and  the  mats  upon  which  they  rest  their  weary 
bones.  The  priest  furnishes  everything  else  — a little 
greasy  gruel  and  the  stone  pavement.” 

The  greatest  inhumanities  from  which  the  Mexican 
Indians  suffer  are  those  which  result  from  the  transporta- 
tion of  labor  to  the  plantations  in  the  tropical  parts  of  the 


THE  WHITE  man's  BUBBEN-BEARER 


191 


country.  In  such  tropical  places  as  Tehuantepec,  life 
is  very  simple  and  cheap  for  the  local  Indian,  and  he  will 
not  work.  But  work  must  be  done,  and  therefore  hundreds 
of  peons  are  hoodwinked  into  signing  on  as  laborers  and 
transported  to  the  tropics  from  the  more  temperate  parts 
of  Mexico.  There  are  agents  at  work  all  over  the  country 
picking  them  up  and  deporting  them.  The  unfortunate 
Indians  contract  to  work  for  six  months  for  twenty-five 
cents  a day,  with  their  food,  tortillas,  beans,  rice  and  a little 
meat  on  Sundays.  Of  course  they  at  once  get  into  debt  at 
the  hacienda  store,  and  they  are  never  allowed  to  get  out 
again.  Armed  guards  are  posted  at  the  hacienda  entrances 
to  stop  any  attempt  at  escape.  Hundreds  of  these  poor 
creatures,  accustomed  to  cooler  climates,  die  off  of  fever. 

Being  utterly  without  ambition,  the  Indians  have  no 
desire  to  improve  their  condition  or  educate  their  families. 
None  of  them  can  be  trusted  with  money;  in  a few  hours 
most  of  them  will  drink  and  gamble  away  the  earnings  of 
months.  The  great  aim  of  the  average  peon  is  to  earn  a 
little  money,  sufficient  to  supply  him  with  tortillas  and 
frijoles  and  the  opportunity  to  see  an  occasional  bull-fight 
or  enjoy  a little  gambling.  As  long  as  he  has  a penny  in  his 
pocket  he  will  not  work,  and  even  when  his  money  is  gone, 
the  word  ^^manana”  (meaning  to-morrow,  but  in  fact 
some  more  convenient  time)  springs  instinctively  to  his  lips. 
Untruthfulness  is  universal  among  Indians  of  the  lower 
orders,  and  in  the  capital  most  of  them  are  petty  thieves. 
Very  few  of  them  have  the  slightest  conception  of  morality 
from  the  Anglo-Saxon  point  of  view. 

Gambling,  as  already  remarked,  is  one  of  the  Indian’s 
worst  vices,  and  his  favorite  medium  of  risking  his  hard- 
earned  coin  is  cock-fighting.  For  this  sport  he  has  a pas- 
sionate love.  Fighting  cocks  are  familiar  objects  every- 
where, and  can  often  be  seen  outside  the  Indian  huts, 


192 


MEXICO 


tied  by  the  leg  to  a stake.  Victorious  birds  are  carried 
about  from  village  to  village^  to  make  up  fights  upon  which 
the  improvident  Indians  will  wager  their  last  pennies. 
The  sport  as  practised  in  Mexico  is  extremely  cruel^  thin 
steel  blades  or  spurs,  as  sharp  as  a razor,  being  attached 
to  the  birds’  claws.  One  of  the  combatants  will  often  be 
despatched  at  the  first  stroke;  sometimes  the  birds  will 
fight  several  rounds,  hacked  and  bleeding,  before  the  fray 
ends. 

In  spite  of  his  poverty  and  his  numerous  bad  traits, 
the  Indian  is  extremely  generous.  If  he  has  no  tortillas 
or  frijoles,  some  of  his  neighbors  have,  and  they  will  gladly 
share  with  him,  for  conditions  may  be  reversed  to-morrow. 
Although  his  cruelty  to  animals  is  notorious,  his  love  for 
children  is  just  as  marked.  It  is  a common  sight  to  see 
a peon  in  the  street,  with  but  two  pieces  of  cotton  clothing 
to  his  back,  stop  a woman  with  a baby  in  her  arms,  and 
holding  the  child’s  face  between  both  hands,  deliver  a re- 
sounding smack  and  chuck  it  under  the  chin.  His  polite- 
ness is  that  of  a cavalier.  In  the  most  unaffected  manner 
the  young  Indian  will  take  his  battered  straw  sombrero 
from  his  head  and  reverently  kiss  the  hand  of  some  ancient 
relative,  in  a tattered  dress,  when  he  happens  to  meet  her. 
To  hear  these  unwashed,  ragged  folk  exchanging  graceful 
compliments  in  choice  Spanish  is  oftentimes  grotesque. 
Centuries  of  oppression  have  degraded  the  peon,  but  when 
given  opportunity,  he  often  displays  great  talent  in  the  arts 
and  crafts,  and  when  educated,  many  of  them  are  very 
bright.  Among  the  Indian  masses  the  spread  of  education 
is  necessarily  slow,  but  it  is  destined,  in  time,  to  put  an 
end  to  the  repulsive  aspects  of  peonage. 

The  Indian  man  has  a fitting  mate  in  the  Indian  woman, 
who  is  not  a wholesome-looking  person.  Nearly  all  the 
women  are  small,  plump  and  slatternly,  with  tousled  hair, 


THE  WHITE  man's  BUBDEN-BEAREB 


193 


their  dresses  torn  and  dirty,  their  general  appearance  being 
reminiscent  of  gypsies.  Some  of  the  girls  are  handsome 
enough ; but  the  hardness  and  monotony  of  their  lives  make 
them  old  women  before  their  time,  and  an  Indian  maiden 
of  thirty  is  often  simply  a bent  and  wrinkled  hag.  Early 
marriages  are  the  rule,  girls  of  fourteen  in  some  cases  being 
married  to  boys  of  sixteen,  after  which  they  become  mere 
household  drudges.  In  many  places  the  immorality  which 
exists  is  appalling,  polygamy  being  quite  general,  marriages 
seldom  taking  place  and  kinship  being  disregarded.  The 
Mexican  government,  with  the  aid  of  the  church,  is  en- 
deavoring to  put  an  end  to  these  deplorable  conditions. 

Large  families  are  the  rule  among  the  Indian  population, 
a childless  woman  being  very  rare;  but  most  of  the  chil- 
dren, through  neglect,  die  in  infancy.  Like  their  husbands, 
the  women  are  invariably  dull-witted  and  unprogressive. 
Even  in  those  parts  where  flour  is  available,  they  will 
continue  every  morning  to  pound  their  corn  on  the  metate 
and  bake  the  tortillas,  for  they  would  scorn  the  American 
idea  of  having  one  big  bake  and  getting  it  over.  They 
have  few  virtues  save  their  devotion  to  their  husbands 
and  children ; but  many  of  them  are  not  unskilful  in  fancy 
work,  being  able  to  follow  the  most  elaborate  designs,  doing 
also  really  delicate  and  pretty  work  on  handkerchiefs  and 
linens. 


CHAPTER  XI 


FROM  DIAZ  TO  HUERTA 

Since  the  retirement  of  President  Diaz  in  1911,  Mexico  has  been 
in  a state  of  continuous  disorder,  with  numerous  governmental 
changes ; one  President  has  been  assassinated,  and  his  successor  has 
been  confronted  not  only  by  insurrections,  but  by  other  grave  na- 
tional dangers.  In  northern  Mexico  the  revolutionists  have  estab- 
lished a reign  of  terror ; business  there  has  been  almost  suspended, 
and  thousands  of  refugees  have  left  that  part  of  the  country. 
While  struggling  to  suppress  these  insurrections,  the  national  gov- 
ernment has  also  had  to  contend  with  serious  financial  difficulties. 
In  view  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  it  seems  appropriate  that 
the  present  edition  of  this  book  should  contain  a brief  review  of 
modern  Mexican  history,  which  may  serve  to  throw  some  light  on 
the  present  condition  of  affairs. 

The  history  of  modern  Mexico  may  be  said  to  date  from 
1876,  when  General  Porfirio  Diaz  became  President,  and 
practically  dictator,  an  office  which  he  held  for  over  thirty 
years.  That  Mexico  was,  and  still  is,  unfit  to  be  a republic 
in  the  true  sense  of  the  term  is  not  only  illustrated  by  the 
career  of  this  remarkable  man,  but  also  by  the  events  that 
have  followed  his  retirement.  Combining  the  qualities  of 
a military  genius  and  statesman,  he  governed  the  country 
with  an  iron  hand,  and  while  it  is  true  that  his  rule  was  ty- 
rannical, nevertheless  it  brought  order  out  of  chaos,  and  en- 
abled Mexico  to  enjoy  a long  era  of  peace  and  prosperity. 

Until  the  advent  of  Diaz,  the  country  had  been  upset  for 
nearly  fifty  years  by  continuous  revolutions.  There  had 
been  two  emperors  and  several  military  dictators ; some- 

194 


FROM  DIAZ  TO  HUERTA 


195 


times,  for  short  periods,  there  was  some  form  of  constitu- 
tional government,  but  there  was  never  an  actual  republic. 
One  President,  General  Comonfort,  even  rebelled  against 
his  own  administration,  asserting  that  government  under  the 
existing  constitution  was  impossible.  During  this  period 
the  government  was  never  changed  excepting  by  force. 

Diaz  was  a disciple  of  Benito  Juarez,  the  Mexican  pa- 
triot, and  gained  distinction  during  the  war  between  France 
and  Mexico.  He  also  took  a foremost  part  in  defeating  the 
forces  of  the  ill-fated  Maximilian.  In  1872,  after  the  death 
of  Juarez,  he  headed  a revolution  against  Lerda  de  Tejada, 
who  was  accused  of  having  gained  the  presidency  illegally. 
Defeated  at  first,  and  compelled  to  seek  refuge  in  the 
United  States,  Diaz  returned  to  Mexico  in  1876,  and  raised 
an  army  in  Oaxaca.  Sweeping  away  all  opposition,  he 
marched  to  the  capital  and  assumed  the  presidency. 
When  installed,  his  power  became  supreme,  and  with  the 
exception  of  one  brief  presidential  term,  he  ruled  Mexico  un- 
til 1911.  Surrounded  by  a strong  clique  of  able  men,  who 
were  popularly  known  as  the  “ cientificos,’’  or  scien- 
tific politicians,  Diaz,  by  his  wonderful  genius,  succeeded 
in  uniting  all  parties  and  establishing  a benevolent  military 
dictatorship  under  the  forms  of  a pure  democracy.  It  was, 
however,  exactly  the  sort  of  government  that  Mexico  needed 
and  which,  with  some  modifications,  Mexico  still  needs. 

In  a short  time  order  was  established  in  the  country, 
an  efficient  police  system  was  introduced  which  put  down 
brigandage,  trade  was  fostered  and  everything  done  to 
encourage  foreign  investors.  With  the  establishment  of 
a strong  central  government  revolutions  soon  came  to  an 
end.  While  in  1876  Mexico  had  possessed  only  360  miles 
of  railway,  twenty-six  years  later  there  were  over  ten 
thousand.  Telegraph  and  telephone  lines  all  over  the 
country  completed  the  centralization  of  the  government. 


196 


MEXICO 


Under  the  new  order  of  things  the  old  Mexican  cities  became 
busy  places,  with  asphalted  streets,  electric  lights,  street- 
cars, new  public  buildings,  fine  shops,  and  other  evidences 
of  modern  progress.  Remote  parts  of  Mexico,  in  which 
it  had  been  unsafe  to  travel,  were  visited  by  hundreds  of 
American  tourists  during  the  winter  months.  Foreign 
capital  invested  in  the  country  leaped  from  $500,000  to 
the  amazing  total  of  $1,400,000,000.  Men  with  money 
swarmed  into  Mexico  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  engage 
in  business,  particularly  mining,  for  the  mineral  riches  of 
the  country,  its  gold,  silver  and  copper,  had  not  been  half 
developed. 

During  thirty  years  of  progress  such  changes  had  been 
wrought  in  Mexico  that  it  seemed  impossible  that  the 
country  would  ever  witness  a serious  revolution  again. 
Unexpected  events,  however,  furnished  ample  proof  that 
Mexico's  prosperity  had  rested  on  an  insecure  foundation 
and  was  destined  to  collapse. 

In  1909  Diaz  was  in  his  eightieth  year,  wonderfully 
vigorous  for  his  age,  and  still  possessing  a keen  intellect ; 
but  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  lacked  his  former  grip  on  the 
body  politic.  He  found,  at  last,  that  he  was  unable 
to  curb  certain  turbulent  elements  which  had  been  slowly 
gathering  strength. 

The  autocratic  rule  of  the  dictator  began  to  meet  with 
growing  disapproval  from  a large  class  of  educated  and  pro- 
gressive men  who  represented  what  might  be  termed  the 
young  Mexican  party.  They  were  dissatisfied  with  Diaz's 
disregard  of  constitutional  methods  and  his  system  of 
reelecting  himself  every  six  years.  Under  his  system 
of  dictatorship  no  rival  candidate  dared  to  appear,  because 
any  severe  public  criticism  of  the  government  would  prob- 
ably have  meant  imprisonment  on  some  flimsy  pretext 
and  possibly  a death  sentence.  Opposition  to  the  rule 


(\KSKn\l.  DIAZ. 

A striking  portniit  of  Mexico’s  former  President. 


FROM  DIAZ  TO  HUERTA 


197 


of  Diaz  was,  however,  secretly  spreading.  There  were 
rumors  of  wholesale  corruption  in  governmental  depart- 
ments and  of  atrocities  perpetrated  under  the  government’s 
authority, 'although  a rigid  press  censorship  made  it  difficult 
for  the  facts  to  leak  out.  There  was  also  widespread  dis- 
satisfaction because  a small  circle  of  men  associated  with  the 
President  made  huge  fortunes  from  government  finance  and 
deals  in  mines  and  railways,  while  none  of  the  younger  men 
were  given  a share  of  the  spoils.  On  every  hand  it  was 
evident  that  the  Diaz  administration,  through  its  long 
tenure  of  office,  had  become  effete  and  incapable,  and  the 
great  mass  of  the  people  were  anxious  for  a change.  In 
every  department  of  the  government  corruption  was  at 
work,  and  the  local  authorities  grossly  abused  their  power. 

The  undercurrent  of  dissatisfaction  with  the  Diaz  regime 
found  an  outlet  in  the  United  States  in  1909,  when  some 
magazines  of  large  circulation  published  highly  sensational 
articles  describing  the  horrors  of  the  Mexican  peonage 
system.  Thousands  of  wretched  laborers  on  the  tobacco 
farms  of  the  Valle  Nacional  and  other  places,  it  was  alleged, 
were  worked  to  death,  unpaid  and  half  starved,  while  gov- 
ernment officials  made  large  fortunes  out  of  the  infamous 
traffic.  Eight  thousand  peaceable  Yaqui  Indians,  it  was 
charged,  had  been  torn  from  their  homes  in  Sonora,  trans- 
ported to  Yucatan,  and  compelled  to  work  as  slaves  on  the 
sisal-hemp  plantations.  They  were  treated  with  the 
utmost  inhumanity,  and  the  death  rate  was  said  to  be 
enormous.  In  their  attacks  on  the  Diaz  government  the 
writers  of  these  articles  also  described  the  terrible  condition 
of  the  Mexican  prisons,  especially  those  at  Belem  and  Vera 
Cruz.  The  prisoners,  it  was  asserted,  were  starved  and 
tortured  and  confined  in  vermin-infested  cells  that  would 
hardly  have  been  tolerated  in  the  middle  ages. 

Although  the  Mexican  government  declared  these 


198 


MEXICO 


articles  to  be  gross  exaggerations^  and  prohibited  the  cir- 
culation of  American  magazines  containing  them,  they 
found  their  way  secretly  into  Mexico,  and  did  much  to 
increase  the  spirit  of  disaffection.  Agitators  began  to 
appear  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  inciting  the  people 
to  revolution  and  demanding  reforms ; but  on  finding 
themselves  threatened  with  arrest  most  of  them  fled  to  the 
United  States. 

In  the  summer  of  1910,  when  the  presidential  elections 
took  place,  Don  Francisco  Madero  astonished  Mexico  by 
appearing  as  a presidential  candidate  in  opposition  to  Diaz. 
He  was  a member  of  one  of  the  wealthiest  Mexican  families, 
a ranchman,  and  possessed  of  some  culture ; but  he  was  of 
rather  an  unstable,  visionary  nature,  and  was  said  to  be  a 
spiritualist.  In  appearance  he  was  a small,  almost  timid- 
looking  man;  but  whenever  he  spoke  he  convinced  his 
hearers  that  he  had  plenty  of  courage,  and  no  matter  how 
visionary  some  of  his  ideas  might  have  been  he  was  always 
full  of  enthusiasm. 

Madero  introduced  American  electioneering  methods 
into  Mexico.  He  travelled  about  the  country  delivering 
sensational  speeches,  and  openly  denounced  the  Diaz  ad- 
ministration as  extravagant  and  corrupt.  Unfortunately, 
he  made  many  rash  promises,  asserting,  for  example,  that 
if  he  were  elected,  even  the  poorest  peon  would  be  paid  a 
dollar  a day  instead  of  twenty-five  cents ; that  taxes  would 
be  reduced  to  almost  nothing ; and  that  the  vast  estates 
of  northern  Mexico  should  be  broken  up  and  divided 
among  the  people.  This  plain  speaking  gave  him  a large 
following,  and  it  also  stirred  the  Diaz  government  into  ac- 
tivity. While  engaged  in  speech-making  at  Monterey  in 
northern  Mexico,  Madero  was  arrested  on  a charge  of  se- 
dition. He  was  sent  to  the  state  prison  at  San  Luis  Potosi, 
but  after  remaining  there  for  a short  time  he  was  released 


FROM  DIAZ  TO  HUERTA 


199 


on  bail.  This  he  forfeited  by  escaping  to  the  United  States. 
From  San  Antonio,  Texas,  he  kept  in  communication  with 
his  followers  in  Mexico,  and  secretly  fomented  an  uprising 
of  the  disaffected. 

In  January,  1911,  Madero  returned  to  Mexico  and  issued 
a proclamation  in  Chihuahua  denouncing  Diaz  and  calling 
for  the  overthrow  of  the  tyrant’s  rule.  He  made  charges 
of  wholesale  corruption  against  Sehor  Limantour,  the  Min- 
ister of  Finance  and  other  members  of  the  cabinet. 
Madero’s  promises  of  free  land  and  high  wages  were  suffi- 
cient to  start  a revolution  in  northern  Mexico,  and  to 
incite  the  ignorant  peons  and  cow-punchers,  who  are  about 
as  low  in  the  scale  of  human  intelligence  as  it  is  possible  to 
find  within  an  acknowledged  sphere  of  civilization. 

At  the  outset  the  revolution  was  chiefly  confined  to  the 
mountainous  districts  of  Chihuahua,  Coahuila  and  Sonora, 
where  there  were  comparatively  few  government  troops. 
By  February,  however,  the  revolutionists  had  increased  in 
number,  and  the  uprising  had  reached  serious  proportions. 
Its  success  revealed  one  fatal  error  of  Diaz.  If,  during  his 
long  rule,  he  had  prepared  for  the  future  by  instructing  the 
people  gradually  in  the  real  meaning  of  the  word  republic, 
and  had  introduced  and  developed  a system  of  small  owner- 
ship in  the  country  districts,  he  would  have  created  a strong 
middle  class,  attached  to  the  soil,  for  without  this  no 
republic  can  expect  to  survive.  That  he  had  enormous 
difficulties  to  contend  with  cannot  be  denied ; but  even 
his  admirers  are  forced  to  admit  that  in  the  latter  years  of 
his  administration  he  might  have  done  much  more  for  the 
great  mass  of  the  people  than  he  succeeded  in  accomplishing. 
As  it  was,  he  reaped  the  harvest  of  revolution  and  civil 
strife  which  so  many  autocrats  have  gathered  through  their 
blindness  to  the  consequences  of  their  acts  and  follies.  It 
is  largely  owing  to  the  lack  of  a substantial  middle  class  and 


200 


MEXICO 


a system  of  small  land  ownership  that  Mexico  to-day  is  in 
such  a deplorable  condition. 

In  February,  19H,  Madero  was  joined  by  two  other 
revolutionary  leaders,  Orozco  and  Blanco,  and  the  bandit 
chief  Pancho  Villa,  who  had  already  caused  an  uprising  in 
northern  Mexico.  The  Governor  of  Chihuahua,  Abraham 
Gonzales,  also  came  to  his  assistance  with  men  and  money. 
Giuseppe  Garibaldi,  a grandson  of  the  Italian  liberator, 
joined  his  staff  and  it  was  to  him  that  General  Navarro, 
the  veteran  Federal  commander,  surrendered  his  sword  when 
the  revolutionists,  in  Ma}^,  captured  the  important  town  of 
Juarez  near  the  American  border.  During  the  fighting 
between  the  revolutionists  and  the  government  troops, 
some  American  non-combatants  in  United  States  territory 
were  accidentally  wounded.  It  was  reported,  moreover, 
that  arms  and  ammunition  were  being  conveyed  across  the 
line  to  the  revolutionists  by  American  sympathizers.  These 
facts  led  President  Taft  to  station  twenty  thousand  troops 
along  the  Rio  Grande,  in  order  to  protect  American  residents 
and  enforce  neutrality.  Meanwhile,  in  the  south  of 
Mexico,  General  Figueroa  — since  killed  — and  the  no- 
torious bandit,  Emiliano  Zapata,  were  leading  bands  of 
desperados  about  the  country,  looting,  destroying  property 
and  slaughtering  non-combatants  even  within  a short 
distance  from  the  capital. 

After  the  capture  of  Juarez  by  the  revolutionists,  Diaz 
endeavored  to  make  terms  with  Madero,  but  the  latter 
insisted  on  the  dictator's  retirement  as  the  first  step  to- 
wards the  establishment  of  peace.  While  Diaz  was  nom- 
inally supported  in  the  capital  by  a congress  constitution- 
ally chosen,  Madero  was  more  than  once  praised  as  a 
patriot  in  open  debates.  In  the  heart  of  the  city  there  was 
a band  of  1500  revolutionists,  well  armed  and  equipped, 
ready  to  strike  a blow  at  any  moment,  while  a large  pro- 


TO  HUERTA 


201 


portion  of  the  people,  not  excepting  soldiers  and  police, 
were  in  sympathy  with  the  movement.  The  Federal 
army,  when  put  to  the  test,  was  found  to  be  grossly  in- 
efficient. 

At  last,  Diaz’s  own  cabinet  urged  him  to  resign,  and  the 
veteran  ruler,  anxious  to  prevent  any  further  bloodshed, 
agreed  to  retire.  A treaty  was  at  once  signed  with  the 
revolutionists,  and  it  was  agreed  that  Senor  Francisco  de  la 
Barra  should  be  Provisional  President  until  a successor  was 
elected.  On  May  25,  General  Diaz  left  the  capital,  and  a 
few  days  later,  accompanied  by  his  family,  he  embarked 
on  a German  steamer  and  sailed  for  Europe.  He  has  since 
resided  in  the  south  of  France.  All  the  members  of  his 
cabinet  left  Mexico  at  the  same  time,  fearing  imprisonment 
or  assassination. 

On  June  7,  1911,  Madero  entered  the  capital  and  was 
hailed  as  the  liberator  of  Mexico.  Four  months  later  he 
was  elected  President.  His  election,  however,  failed  to 
restore  peace.  Having  assisted  in  inciting  and  arming  a 
horde  of  bandits  and  half-civilized  Indian  peons,  he  was 
destined  to  suffer  the  results  of  that  crime  against  law  and 
order.  Several  revolutionist  leaders  refused  to  recognize 
his  government ; insurrections  broke  out  again  in  northern 
Mexico,  and  the  Federal  troops  were  powerless  to  check 
them.  Zapata  and  other  bandits  still  continued  their  work 
of  slaughter  and  destruction. 

Madero  formed  a cabinet  composed  of  men  of  good  stand- 
ing in  the  business  world,  who  endeavored  to  make  plans  for 
improving  the  social  and  political  condition  of  the  people ; 
but  the  work  was  slow  and  was  hindered  by  the  increasing 
insurrections,  to  cope  with  which  taxed  all  the  resources 
of  the  government.  In  March,  1912,  General  Orozco 
headed  an  anti-Maderista  revolution  in  Chihuahua,  having 
turned  against  his  former  associate.  Juarez  and  Chihuahua 


202 


MEXICO 


were  captured  by  the  revolutionists  and  a Federal  army 
under  General  Gonzales-Sala  was  totally  defeated.  Madero 
then  sent  another  army  against  Orozco,  commanded  by 
General  Huerta,  who  defeated  and  scattered  the  revolution- 
ists. Orozco’s  defeat,  however,  had  no  effect  in  checking 
the  insurrections  elsewhere,  which  continued  unabated. 

By  the  end  of  1912  very  little  had  been  accomplished  in 
spite  of  Madero’s  preelection  promises.  His  failure  to 
divide  the  lands  and  increase  wages  had  caused  widespread 
discontent  among  the  illiterate  natives  who  had  supported 
his  revolutionary  movement.  Moreover,  it  was  asserted 
that  he  had  placed  142  members  of  the  Madero  family  in 
important  offices,  and  had  granted  valuable  concessions 
to  the  American  oil  interests  in  return  for  having  financed 
his  revolution  against  Diaz. 

In  October,  1912,  intense  excitement  was  caused  by  a 
revolutionary  outbreak  at  Vera  Cruz,  started  by  General 
Felix  Diaz,  a nephew  of  the  former  president.  He  had  been 
Chief  of  Police  in  Mexico  City  under  the  Diaz  government, 
and  was  extremely  popular  in  army  circles.  General  Diaz 
tried  to  induce  the  Federal  troops  at  Vera  Cruz  to  revolt 
against  Madero,  but  failing  in  the  attempt,  he  was  arrested, 
court-martialled  and  sentenced  to  death.  His  friends,  how- 
ever, succeeded  in  obtaining  a stay  of  sentence,  and  pending 
a new  trial  he  was  removed  to  Santiago  Prison  in  Mexico 
City.  Among  the  prisoners  there,  at  that  time,  was  Gen- 
eral Bernardo  Reyes,  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  Mexico, 
who  had  been  closely  associated  with  President  Diaz.  He 
had  been  arrested  about  a year  before  while  trying  to  organ- 
ize a revolution  against  Madero  in  northern  Mexico. 

On  February  8,  1913,  several  regiments  in  the  capital 
revolted,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a party  of  military  cadets, 
storming  the  prison,  released  the  two  generals.  Declaring 
war  against  Madero,  Diaz  and  Reyes  headed  the  rebels  and 


FROM  DIAZ  TO  HUERTA 


203 


captured  the  citadel  and  armory,  where  large  quantities 
of  arms  and  ammunition  were  stored.  Madero,  who  held 
the  National  Palace,  ordered  an  immediate  attack  to  be 
made  on  the  rebels.  General  Huerta,  with  a few  regiments 
which  remained  loyal,  made  repeated  attempts  to  capture 
the  citadel,  but  the  government  troops  were  driven  back 
with  heavy  losses.  In  the  first  day's  fighting.  General 
Reyes  was  killed,  and  several  rebel  officers  were  captured, 
including  General  Ruiz,  one  of  the  veteran  officers  of  the 
Mexican  army,  and  a man  highly  esteemed.  By  order  of 
Gustavo  Madero,  the  President's  brother,  Ruiz  was  shot 
without  even  the  formality  of  a court-martial,  an  act  which 
excited  great  indignation  even  among  the  Maderistas. 

For  several  days  the  fighting  raged  between  the  govern- 
ment and  rebel  forces,  no  quarter  being  given  on  either  side, 
while  field  and  machine  guns  hurled  shot  and  shell  through 
the  streets,  causing  widespread  havoc.  At  last,  the  repre- 
sentatives of  foreign  powers  in  the  capital  protested  to  the 
President,  urging  him  to  make  terms  with  the  rebels  or 
resign,  in  order  to  restore  peace.  Madero,  however,  stub- 
bornly refused,  declaring  that  he  would  fight  until  the  last 
cartridge,  even  if  it  resulted  in  the  city  being  laid  in  ruins. 
As  the  result  of  excitement  and  nervous  strain,  it  is  said,  he 
began  to  show  signs  of  being  mentally  unbalanced,  and  told 
some  of  his  supporters  that  the  spirits  of  Oliver  Cromwell 
and  Napoleon  Bonaparte  were  urging  him  on  to  victory. 

On  February  18,  at  a special  session  of  the  Senate,  a 
resolution  was  adopted,  declaring  President  Madero  inca- 
pable of  holding  office.  The  President's  military  chiefs, 
the  Generals  Huerta  and  Blanquet  — officers  of  the  regular 
army  — were  ordered  to  stop  the  fighting  and  arrest  the 
President.  They  sent  two  young  officers,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Riveroll  and  Colonel  Izquierdo,  to  Madero,  to  inform 
him  of  the  Senate's  decision.  On  receiving  the  message. 


204 


MEXICO 


Madero,  infuriated,  drew  his  revolver  and  shot  Riveroll, 
killing  him  instantly,  while  his  aide  shot  and  killed  Izquierdo. 
The  deposed  President  then  attempted  to  escape,  but  was 
arrested  and  locked  up  in  his  apartments,  under  guard.  In 
the  meantime  an  armistice  had  been  arranged  with  the 
rebels. 

The  same  evening,  the  President’s  brother,  Gustavo 
Madero,  was  arrested  and  taken  to  the  citadel,  where 
General  Mondragon  was  in  command.  In  retaliation  for 
the  shooting  of  General  Ruiz,  Mondragon  ordered  the  pris- 
oner to  be  executed  immediately,  and  was  deaf  to  all  plead- 
ings for  mercy.  Even  when  Gustavo  Madero  offered  to 
give  up  all  his  wealth  if  his  life  were  spared,  the  General  was 
immovable.  ^^Take  him  out  and  treat  him  as  he  treated 
Ruiz,”  he  commanded  sternly.  In  the  courtyard  of  the 
citadel,  a few  minutes  later,  the  unfortunate  man  was  shot 
by  a squad  of  soldiers. 

When  the  news  of  the  tragedy  reached  Senora  Madero,  the 
President’s  wife,  she  begged  the  authorities  to  send  her 
husband  to  the  State  Penitentiary  for  safety,  fearing  that  he 
would  be  assassinated  if  he  remained  at  the  National  Palace. 
At  the  end  of  five  days  her  request  was  granted,  and  late  at 
night  two  automobiles  left  the  palace  bound  for  the  peni- 
tentiary. In  one  of  them  rode  Senor  Madero  and  in  the' 
other  the  ex- vice-president,  Senor  Pino  Suarez.  On  the 
way  both  prisoners  were  shot  and  killed  by  the  soldiers 
who  accompanied  them.  The  assassins  then  riddled  the 
automobiles  with  bullets  and  returned  to  headquarters 
with  the  story  that  a party  of  sympathizers  had  attempted 
to  stop  the  cars  and  rescue  the  prisoners,  who  were  acci- 
dentally killed  in  the  resulting  melee. 

Since  this  tragic  event  occurred,  various  stories  have 
been  told  as  to  what  actually  happened.  It  has  even  been 
asserted  that  Generals  Huerta  and  Blanquet  were  directly 


SOME  NOTABLE  MEXICANS. 

Prominent  Characters  in  Recent  Stirring  Events. 

Senor  Madero,  Late  President  of  Mexico  General  Carranza,  Leader  of  the  “ Con- 
(assassinated  February,  1913).  stitutionalists.” 

General  Huerta,  President  of  Mexico. 

General  Felix  Diaz,  nephew  of  a former  Senor  de  la  Barra,  an  able  Mexican 
President.  statesman. 


'■K' 


... 

.-/A-'V 


•'m  . -.‘'^'C.;.'.  . '/:%  :!\ 


■ » f 


j 

-.•'^  if 


'i'k 


/ 


•f^’;  ■'.  « 


FROM  DIAZ  TO  HUERTA 


205 


responsible  for  the  assassinations.  From  the  most  reliable 
evidence  that  has  been  gathered,  however,  it  seems  fairly 
certain  that  the  soldiers  acted  without  authority.  In 
fact  one  of  them  afterwards  confessed  that  before  starting 
out  they  had  agreed  to  kill  Senor  Madero,  in  retaliation  for 
having  shot  the  young  officer  who  informed  him  of  his 
deposition  from  office. 

The  news  of  the  fighting  in  the  capital,  the  threatened 
destruction  of  property  and  the  danger  which  menaced 
foreign  residents  caused  great  concern  throughout  the  world, 
and  especially  in  the  United  States,  where  the  excite- 
ment was  increased  by  the  assassination  of  the  ex-President. 
There  were  rumors  at  the  time,  that  the  United  States 
would  intervene;  but  Mr.  Taft,  then  President,  firmly 
refused  to  take  any  step  of  this  kind,  intimating  that  he 
would  leave  the  settlement  of  the  Mexican  question  to  his 
successor,  Mr.  Woodrow  Wilson,  who  became  President  in 
March,  1913. 

In  the  meantime.  General  Huerta  had  formed  a provi- 
sional government  with  himself  as  President,  and  had  re- 
ceived the  support  of  General  Felix  Diaz  and  his  followers. 
Energetic  efforts  were  made  by  the  new  government  to 
restore  order.  Realizing  that  the  situation  needed  a strong 
hand  and  an  iron  will  such  as  General  Huerta  seemed  to 
possess,  the  diplomatic  representatives  at  the  capital,  with 
one  exception,  agreed  to  recognize  him  as  Provisional  Presi- 
dent. Recognition,  however,  was  withheld  by  President 
Wilson,  pending  an  investigation  which  he  decided  to  make. 

It  should  be  added,  that  at  the  close  of  President  Madero’ s 
administration,  insurrections  had  been  in  progress  in  certain 
parts  of  northern  Mexico,  while  the  Zapatistas  had  con- 
tinued their  raids  in  the  south.  Following  the  assassination 
of  President  Madero,  fresh  revolutions  broke  out  in  the 
north,  when  some  of  the  revolutionists  who  had  been  oppos- 


206 


MEXICO 


ing  the  government  of  President  Madero  joined  the  opponents 
of  the  government  of  President  Huerta.  Fighting  between 
the  government  troops  and  the  revolutionists  continued. 

In  July,  1913,  President  Wilson  sent  Mr.  John  Lind  to 
Mexico  City  as  his  confidential  agent,  to  investigate  and 
report  concerning  the  Mexican  situation.  Mr.  Lind,  it  was 
said,  informed  General  Huerta  that  it  was  the  desire  of  the 
United  States  government  that  fighting  between  Federal- 
ists and  revolutionists  should  cease;  that  an  armistice 
should  be  arranged,  and  be  scrupulously  observed ; that  a 
free  and  early  election  should  take  place  in  which  all 
Mexicans  should  participate  and  be  willing  to  accept  the 
results;  also  that  General  Huerta  should  agree  not  to  be 
a presidential  candidate.  Whatever  the  ultimatum  was. 
General  Huerta  did  not  retire,  and  some  weeks  later,  when 
the  Mexican  elections  took  place  he  received  a majority 
vote.  It  was  subsequently  declared  that  the  elections  had 
been  illegally  conducted  and  that  another  presidential 
election  would  be  held  in  July,  1914.  Pending  this  elec- 
tion, General  Huerta,  with  the  approval  of  the  Mexican 
Congress,  was  permitted  to  retain  office. 

Apparently  as  the  result  of  information  he  had  received. 
President  Wilson  still  refused  to  recognize  President 
Huerta’s  government.  It  was  reported  that  General  Huerta 
had  received  another  ultimatum  from  Washington,  declar- 
ing that  the  recent  elections  had  been  improperly  conducted, 
and  that  his  right  to  the  presidential  office  could  not  be  recog- 
nized by  the  United  States.  Again,  it  was  said,  the  General 
had  been  urged  to  retire,  and  that  it  had  been  intimated 
that  neither  General  Blanquet  nor  any  other  follower  of  his 
would  be  acceptable  to  President  Wilson’s  administration. 
In  reply  to  this  General  Huerta,  it  was  reported,  refused 
emphatically  to  resign,  and  declared  that  no  foreign  power 
had  any  right  to  dictate  terms  to  Mexico. 


FBOM  DIAZ  TO  HUEBTA 


207 


. In  the  exercise  of  his  power  as  President,  General  Huerta 
showed  himself  to  be  a second  Diaz,  and  displayed  similar 
energy  and  determination.  Finding  that  a number  of 
deputies  were  conspiring  against  his  government,  he  caused 
them  to  be  arrested  and  imprisoned.  When  a new  congress 
met  in  November,  1913,  he  justified  his  action  by  declaring 
that  the  offending  deputies  had  been  in  sympathy  with  the 
rebels  in  the  north,  and  that  the  chamber  had  reeked  with 
treason  to  the  country.  ^Hn  an  emergency,”  he  added, 
^‘the  highest  patriotism  overshadows  ordinary  law.” 

The  personality  of  General  Huerta  is  remarkably  inter- 
esting. He  is  about  sixty  years  old,  a native  of  Jalisco  and 
of  mixed  Indian  and  Spanish  descent.  A graduate  of  the 
Chapultepec  Military  School,  he  attained  the  rank  of  general 
through  sheer  ability,  having  distinguished  himself  in  several 
Indian  campaigns.  During  the  Madero  revolution  he 
supported  President  Diaz,  but  afterwards  swore  allegiance 
to  the  Madero  government.  In  appearance.  General 
Huerta  is  tall,  thickly  built,  brisk  and  athletic.  A bluff  old 
soldier,  he  cares  little  for  high  society,  and  prefers  to  sit 
with  a few  friends  in  a cafe.  He  is  a man  of  few  words. 
When  he  comes  across  any  knot  he  cuts  it : to  untie  it 
would  take  too  long.  He  is  a hard  worker,  spending  six- 
teen hours  daily  in  his  office  at  the  National  Palace.  Al- 
though a man  of  strong  will  and  a strict  disciplinarian,  he  is 
immensely  popular  with  the  army.  His  personal  bravery  is 
unquestioned. 

Owing  to  the  opposition  of  the  United  States  and  secret 
influences  arrayed  against  his  government.  General  Huerta 
found  it  difficult  to  float  a foreign  loan  for  the  purpose  of  cov- 
ering public  expenses,  including  the  cost  of  maintaining  the 
army.  Encouraged  by  the  embarrassment  of  the  govern- 
ment, hordes  of  revolutionists  overran  northern  Mexico,  where 
they  have  destroyed  towns  and  laid  waste  the  country. 


208 


MEXICO 


The  most  formidable  of  the  revolutionary  armies  is  led 
by  Venustiano  Carranza,  once  an  obscure  country  lawyer, 
who  became  Governor  of  Coahuila  through  the  upheavals  of 
recent  revolutions.  Carranza  calls  himself  the  candidate 
of  the  ^^Constitutionalists,’^  and  has  already  appointed  a 
cabinet  in  order  to  be  ready  to  assume  the  presidency  when 
his  army  enters  Mexico  City  — over  a thousand  miles  from 
his  base  of  operations. 

Some  of  the  other  revolutionists  are  led  by  notorious 
bandits,  such  as  Zapata,  and  even  General  Pancho  Villa,  a 
prominent  figure  in  northern  Mexico,  has  been  described  by 
the  Mexican  government  as  an  ex-horse-thief  and  outlaw. 
Certain  other  ‘^generals”  and  ‘^colonels”  are  simply  bare- 
footed, ignorant  Indians,  wearing  the  straw  sombrero  and 
red  serape,  who  ride  at  the  head  of  their  forces,  machete  in 
hand.  Their  sole  object  is  loot.  Any  kind  of  wild  idea, 
from  communism  to  the  most  rampant  anarchy,  finds  ready 
acceptance  among  such  men.  In  northern  Mexico,  for 
example,  there  are  man}^'  ^^majoristas,”  who  are  fighting 
against  both  Huerta  and  Carranza,  their  principal  aim  being 
to  destroy  property  and  bring  about  the  establishment  of  a 
community  in  land. 

During  the  campaigns  in  northern  Mexico  terrible  atroc- 
ities have  been  committed  by  the  revolutionists.  The  once 
prosperous  cities  of  Chihuahua  and  Durango,  both  having 
large  populations  and  abundant  wealth,  have  been  ravaged 
and  partly  destroyed.  Even  the  leaders  who  have  some 
claim  to  be  considered  civilized  have  found  it  impossible 
to  restrain  the  excesses  of  their  followers,  a large  proportion 
of  whom  are  ignorant  Indian  peons,  brutalized  by  pulque 
and  mescal.  In  every  town  they  have  captured,  scores  of 
non-combatants  have  been  killed,  women  have  been  out- 
raged and  much  property  has  been  burned.  Owing  to  the 
losses  sustained  by  their  subjects,  it  is  estimated  that 


FROM  DIAZ  TO  HUERTA 


209 


foreign  governments  already  have  claims  against  Mexico 
amounting  to  over  fifty  million  dollars. 

In  every  battle  the  revolutionists  have  ignored  the  rules 
of  civilized  warfare,  giving  no  quarter,  and  shooting  all 
government  officers  they  have  captured.  Hundreds  of 
Federal  soldiers,  taken  prisoners,  have  also  shared  the  same 
fate.  In  one  instance,  reported  by  a newspaper  correspon- 
dent, a mob  of  drink-inflamed  revolutionists,  armed  with 
knives  and  machetes,  attacked  a party  of  Federal  prisoners, 
who  were  hacked  and  stabbed  until  death  ended  their  suf- 
ferings. The  revolutionary  bands,  it  has  been  said,  ac- 
knowledge no  supreme  commander,  and  unite  only  when 
besieging  a city.  All  the  leaders  want  to  be  President,  and 
those  who  know  Mexico  are  confident  that  whatever  hap- 
pens the  rival  generals  will  eventually  end  by  fighting  among 
themselves. 

It  is  difficult  at  this  time  to  understand  exactly  what  is 
going  on  beneath  the  diplomatic  surface ; but  from  all 
accounts  it  seems  to  be  certain  that  none  of  the  European 
powers  are  desirous  of  interfering  in  Mexico  excepting  in 
case  of  actual  outrage  to  their  subjects.  Nevertheless 
there  are  indications  that  they  are  becoming  impatient  at 
the  lack  of  any  definite  results  from  the  efforts  of  the  United 
States  to  cause  the  establishment  of  a government  in  Mexico 
City  that  would  be  satisfactory  alike  to  Federalists  and 
revolutionists.  It  is  also  realized  that  something  more 
powerful  than  moral  pressure  will  be  needed  to  put  an 
end  to  the  present  reign  of  anarchy  in  Mexico's  northern 
states. 


CHAPTER  XII 


THE  MACHINERY  OF  GOVERNMENT 

Floating  over  the  public  buildings  of  Mexico  may  be 
seen  the  national  flag  of  the  Republic,  a tricolor  of  red, 
white  and  green  which  in  some  cases  bears  the  arms  of 
Mexico,  the  traditional  eagle  on  the  cactus,  and  the  letters 
U.  de  M.”  (Estados  Unidos  de  Mexico),  meaning  the 
United  States  of  Mexico. 

Outside  of  the  Republic  this  phrase  is  so  seldom  heard 
that  one  is  apt  to  forget  that  this  is  the  country’s  political 
title.  The  Mexican  Republic  is,  in  fact,  a confederation 
of  twenty-seven  States,  two  territories  and  the  Federal 
District  in  which  the  capital  stands,  formed  after  the  pattern 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  each  State  having  a gov- 
ernor and  a state  legislature.  There  is  also  a Federal  Con- 
gress, with  its  place  of  assembly  in  Mexico  City,  which,  like 
its  prototype  at  Washington,  is  composed  of  a Senate  and 
Chamber  of  Deputies.  It  meets  twice  a year;  and  in  it 
each  State  is  represented  by  two  senators,  while  deputies 
are  elected  for  every  forty  thousand  of  the  population. 

All  this  sounds  very  democratic,  but  the  truth  is  that  the 
Mexican  representative  system  is  merely  a paper  one; 
for  the  suffrage  is  so  severely  limited  that  only  a very  small 
percentage  of  the  population  are  ever  allowed  to  cast  votes. 
Politics  in  Mexico  are,  in  fact,  an  elaborate  sham.  There 
is  practically  no  opposition  party  in  the  houses,  where 
discussions  are  academic,  and  can  only  end  in  the  fulfilment 
of  those  resolutions  which  have  weeks  before  been  made 


210 


TYPICAL  REVOLUTIONISTS. 

Lf'uders  of  the  Men  who  have  Terrorized  Mexico. 

General  Villa,  C.'omniandinf'  in  Ciiiliu.a-  General  Blanco,  Commanding  in  Nuevo 

hu;i.  Leon. 

I'imiliano  Zapata,  the  Bandit  C^hief. 

General  Ohregon,  a command(‘r  of  the  General  Benavantina,  Chief  Treasurer 

( ^institutional  Army.  of  the  Rebel  Army. 


THE  MACHINERY  OF  GOVERNMENT 


211 


in  the  Cadena  or  Gliapiiltepec  Castle  by  the  Presidents 
Under  this  elaborate  political  fiction  President  Diaz  wisely 
cloaked  his  dictatorship. 

To  these  burlesques  of  legislative  chambers  every  citizen 
is  eligible,  with  the  single  exception  of  priests,  who  are 
excluded  from  both  houses.  Senators  and  deputies  are 
each  paid  at  the  rate  of  $1500  a year.  The  President  is 
elected  every  six  years,  though,  as  explained  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  this  regulation  has  fallen  into  abeyance 
for  more  than  thirty  years. 

While  Mexico  has  the  usual  legislative  assemblies,  it  also 
has  numerous  law  courts.  These  are  divided  into  district 
courts,  and  at  the  head  of  them  is  the  Supreme  Court,  pre- 
sided over  by  fifteen  judges.  The  legal  procedure  is  based 
on  the  Roman  law.  In  the  criminal  courts  cases  are  con- 
ducted in  a manner  very  similar  to  that  which  prevails  in 
France.  There  are  judges  of  instruction,  who  institute 
proceedings,  refer  them  to  the  public  prosecutor  and  finally 
present  the  case  before  the  jury.  The  latter  consists  of 
nine  persons  (thirty  are  summoned),  native  or  foreign,  who 
must  have  occupations,  education  or  independent  means. 
There  are  also  courts  of  lesser  jurisdiction,  like  the  American 
police  courts,  and  alcaldes  or  local  magistrates,  who  ad- 
minister a summary  jurisdiction. 

Though  all  this  sounds  very  well,  yet  with  the  possible 
exception  of  the  unfortunate  erring  peons,  no  one  in  Mexico 
ever  gets  quick  justice.  In  the  courts  the  prevailing  rule 
is  manana  — to-morrow  — and  from  the  judge  to  the  usher 
they  are  all  faithful  to  this  magic  word.  But  the  greatest 
difficulty  which  confronts  the  Mexican  courts  is  that  in- 
volved in  cases  which  concern  foreigners.  The  whole 
policy  of  the  Mexican  authorities  is  to  be  civil  to  foreigners, 
and  in  legal  matters  this  is  as  obvious  as  it  is  in  administra- 
tive. Sometimes,  however,  Mexican  judges  are  found  too 


212 


MEXICO 


favorable  to  their  fellow-countrymen,  and  then  it  requires 
the  interference  of  the  President  to  tip  the  scales  of  justice. 
Such  a case  was  reported  to  me.  A foreign  company, 
so  I was  told,  ran  a cable  line  through  some  land  belonging 
to  a Mexican,  with  the  understanding  that  settlement  was 
to  be  made  afterwards.  Some  ground  was  also  occupied 
for  other  purposes.  Although  no  damage  was  done  to  the 
property,  the  company  offered  the  landowner  a generous 
sum  as  compensation,  but  he  refused  to  accept  it,  and  the 
case  was  referred  to  the  local  judge,  his  intimate  friend. 
This  judge  ordered  the  company  to  purchase  the  entire 
estate  for  $30,000  as  compensation.  The  company  ap- 
pealed to  the  Supreme  Court,  which  upheld  the  decision. 
The  case  was  then  brought  to  the  notice  of  President  Diaz. 
He  summoned  the  members  of  the  court  before  him  and  said 
in  effect:  ^^This  won’t  do.  You’ll  have  to  reconsider  that 
decision.  We  are  inviting  foreign  capital  to  Mexico,  and 
if  foreigners  discover  that  they  cannot  get  justice  we  shall 
lose  millions.” 

The  Supreme  Court  thereupon  ordered  the  local  judge  to 
give  the  case  another  hearing.  This  time  he  decided  that 
the  company  must  pay  $20,000.  Again  they  appealed  to 
the  Supreme  Court,  again  that  court  upheld  the  decision, 
and  again  resort  was  had  to  the  President,  who,  however, 
this  time  refused  to  interfere.  When  the  company  declined 
to  pay,  the  court  announced  that  their  property  would  be 
seized  and  sold  at  public  auction  on  a certain  date.  The 
company  retaliated  by  pointing  out  that  they  were  the  only 
corporation  rich  enough  to  buy  the  property  if  the  auction 
took  place ; and  in  any  case  they  would  see  that  the  facts 
of  the  gross  injustice  should  be  published  in  all  the  leading 
newspapers  of  the  world  so  that  foreigners  might  learn  what 
sort  of  treatment  they  might  expect  in  Mexico.  This 
threat  reached  Sefior  Limantour,  the  Minister  of  Finance, 


THE  MACHINEBT  OF  GOVERNMENT 


213 


. and  he  hurried  off  to  the  President,  warning  him  that  some- 
thing must  be  done  at  once.  President  Diaz  thereupon 
ordered  the  Supreme  Court  to  fix  the  damages  at  $3000, 
the  sum  originally  offered  by  the  company,  and  this  was 
paid  in  final  settlement.  ^^But,”  added  my  informant, 

suppose  there  had  been  no  Diaz  to  interfere!  What 
protection  should  we  have  had?  ’’ 

The  chief  triumph  of  the  Diaz  regime  was  the  policing 
of  the  Republic  by  mounted  police,  or  ^^rurales,”  who 
keep  order  in  the  country  districts ; and  an  excellent  and 
intelligent  body  of  men  are  one  of  the  bulwarks  of  the 
government.  But  it  is  perhaps  in  the  capital  that  one  is 
best  able  to  gauge  the  astounding  change  which  has  been 
witnessed  during  a single  generation.  Twenty-five  years 
ago  Mexico  City  was  the  prey  of  as  foul  an  army  of  beggars, 
thieves  and  cut-throats  as  could  be  found  in  any  city  in 
the  world.  Murders  were  committed  by  half  dozens  every 
night.  In  the  awful  rookeries  where  the  scum  of  the  city  — ■ 
thieves,  offal-carriers,  rag-pickers,  pulque-sellers  — congre- 
gated, crimes  of  all  kinds  were  planned  and  carried  out  with 
impunity.  The  government  flooded  the  city  with  police, 
but  at  first  it  looked  as  if  the  forces  of  disorder  must  win. 
When  the  ^ectric  lights  were  first  installed  in  the  city, 
the  vagabonds  cut  the  wires  night  after  night  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  San  Lazaro,  one  of  the  lowest  quarters,  that 
they  might  carry  out  their  robberies  unmolested.  Even 
in  the  Alameda  and  the  fashionable  quarters  of  the  city  the 
foulest  murders  were  committed,  and  it  was  even  suggested 
that  the  police  were  in  league  with  some  of  the  worst  crim- 
inals. 

But  the  government  was  not  to  be  beaten.  The  arm  of 
the  law  was  stretched  out  into  the  worst  holes  and  crannies 
of  Mexico  City,  policemen  were  stationed  at  every  corner. 
Prisons  were  full  to  choking,  and  those  criminals  caught 


214 


MEXICO 


red-handed  were  transported  to  the  hot  lands  in  southern 
Mexico  as  plantation  slaves.  The  result  has  been  more 
than  good.  To-day  Mexico  City  is  one  of  the  most  orderly 
places  in  the  world.  One  can  walk  from  end  to  end  at  night, 
unguarded,  with  little  fear  of  being  even  annoyed. 

But  if  the  Mexican  police  are  good,  they  are  very  often 
arrogant.  In  street  rows  they  will  arrest  everybody  within 
sight,  and  woe  betide  the  man  who  resists  them.  The  truth 
is,  the  Mexican  policeman  takes  himself  very  seriously. 
Just  as  every  French  soldier  was  taught  to  believe  that  there 
was  a marshal’s  baton  in  his  knapsack,  so  the  Mexican 
^^sereno”  hoodwinks  himself  into  the  hope  that  he  is  an 
embryo  Monsieur  Lecoq,  which  self-conceit  betrays  him 
into  a certain  ofRciousness  and  anxiety  to  arrest  any  and 
everybody  on  the  slightest  provocation. 

I heard  of  an  amusing  instance  which  illustrates  this. 
An  American  visitor  to  Mexico  City  was  seized  with  a bad 
cold  and  compelled  to  keep  his  bed  at  his  hotel.  One 
morning,  two  policemen  m.arched  into  his  room  with  a 
stretcher  and  told  him  he  must  be  taken  to  the  hospital. 
On  his  demanding  why,  they  replied,  ^Mt  has  been  reported 
that  you  have  typhus,  and  you  must  come  immediately.” 
They  strapped  him  on  the  stretcher,  took  him  to  the  hos- 
pital, where  he  was  deprived  of  his  clothes,  given  a sort  of 
hospital  nightgown,  and  put  into  a ward  with  a lot  of  ty- 
phus patients.  He  did  not  see  any  doctor  for  a day  or  so. 
When  that  official  did  arrive,  he  asked,  What  are  you  doing 
here  ? ” The  American  replied,  ^^They  say  I’ve  got  typhus.” 
The  doctor  said,  ^Wou’ve  got  nothing  of  the  kind,  so  get 
out,  senor.”  When  the  American  went  to  find  his  clothes, 
they  had  been  stolen.  He  borrowed  a blanket,  and  wrap- 
ping it  round  him  tried  to  sneak  back  to  his  hotel  through 
the  side  streets.  On  his  way  he  was  arrested  on  the  charge 
of  appearing  in  public  in  an  indecent  costume,”  was  taken 


THE  RURALES. 

A squadron  of  Mexico’s  famous  mounted  police. 


THE  AWKWARD  SQUAD. 
Country  policemen  answering  the  roll  call. 


THE  MACHINERY  OF  GOVERNMENT 


215 


to  the  police  station  and  detained  there  a day  or  two  more, 
only  being  released  when  the  U.  S.  consul  interfered. 
When  he  complained  to  the  authorities,  they  simply  laughed 
at  him,  seeming  to  consider  it  a great  joke  on  the  Ameri- 
cano. Indeed,  one  jovial  official  remarked,  ^Wou  came 
to  Mexico  to  see  sights,  didn’t  you?  Well,  you’re  seeing 
them.  Then  why  complain?” 

Another  case  which  ended  in  tragedy  was  that  of  a 
clerk  who,  buying  a revolver  from  a friend,  was  putting  it  in 
the  case  when  it  went  off,  shooting  the  latter  and  inflicting 
a serious  wound.  A request  to  take  the  deposition  of  the 
wounded  man  was  sent  to  the  local  magistrate,  but  he  was 
drunk  and  could  not  come.  Friends  of  the  wounded  man, 
having  procured  a stretcher,  a journey  of  seven  miles  was 
made  to  the  house  of  the  next  magistrate,  who  took  the  de- 
position, which  was  witnessed  by  the  mayor  of  the  village 
and  the  chief  of  police.  The  man  was  then  sent  to  Mexico 
City  for  treatment,  the  clerk  and  two  other  friends  accom- 
panying him.  He  was  being  removed  from  the  train  when 
an  officious  policeman  refused  to  allow  him  to  be  taken  to 
the  hospital,  arrested  the  whole  party  as  suspicious  per- 
sons ” and  conducted  them  to  the  police  station,  where  they 
were  confined  all  night.  Receiving  no  medical  attention, 
the  victim  of  the  accident  died  from  the  effects  of  the 
excitement  and  exposure.  The  clerk  was  then  taken  back 
to  the  place  where  the  accident  had  occurred,  and  put  into 
prison,  charged  with  murder.  It  was  only  after  expensive 
litigation  that  he  was  liberated. 

Yet  another  case.  A drunken  Mexican  accosted  an 
American  clerk  in  the  main  street  of  a provincial  town, 
demanding  money.  The  young  fellow  pushed  him  away, 
and  the  man  dropped  dead,  undoubtedly  from  heart  disease, 
as  it  was  proved  afterwards  that  he  had  been  drinking 
for  days  and  had  some  heart  ailment.  The  clerk  was  im- 


216 


MEXICO 


mediately  arrested.  The  next  proceeding  was  taken  by  the 
local  magistrate,  who  called  in  a butcher  and  ordered  him 
to  make  a post  mortem  examination.  After  carving  up 
the  body  of  the  dead  man,  the  butcher  reported  that  the 
internal  organs  showed  signs  of  a blow;  and  on  this  evi- 
dence the  young  American  was  committed  for  trial  for 
murder,  and  kept  in  solitary  confinement.  When  I heard 
the  story,  he  had  been  in  prison  for  more  than  six  months, 
all  efforts  to  get  him  out  on  bail  having  been  in  vain.  The 
law’s  delays  in  Mexico  are  very  tedious,  and  many  months 
elapse  before  even  in  ordinary  cases  a trial  is  held.  When 
the  magistrate  was  asked  why  he  did  not  call  in  a doctor  to 
make  a proper  post-mortem  examination,  his  reply  was  that 
the  butcher  was  more  convenient  and  the  law  allowed  him 
to  get  a substitute  if  a doctor  was  not  at  hand.  ^^Do  you 
think  that  a butcher  is  competent  to  judge  in  such  a serious 
case?”  asked  the  defendant’s  lawyer.  The  magistrate 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  replied,  ^^Quien  sabe?”  (Who 
knows  ?). 

In  Mexico  the  death  penalty  is  inflicted  by  shooting,  a 
squad  of  soldiers  being  the  executioners.  This,  of  course, 
refers  to  formal  executions,  of  which  many  hundreds  take 
place  in  the  course  of  the  year.  But  there  are  informal 
death  sentences  carried  out  in  any  number.  Quite  a usual 
way  of  getting  rid  of  a difficult  prisoner  is  the  following: 
While  being  taken  from  one  district  to  another,  under  armed 
escort,  he  is  told  by  his  guards  to  go  ahead,  and  is  then  shot 
in  the  back,  the  cause  of  his  death  being  reported  as  ^‘shot 
while  attempting  to  escape.”  This  is  permissible  under  the 
old  Spanish  Ley  fuga  or  Law  of  Flight.  Highwaymen, 
too,  are  dealt  with  summarily,  being  shot  at  sight.  A 
year  or  two  ago  some  desperados  robbed  a pay-car  on  the 
Mexican  Central  Railway  near  Cuernavaca.  They  were 
caught,  taken  to  the  scene  of  the  robbery  and  without 


THE  MACHINERY  OF  GOVERNMENT 


217 


a semblance  of  a trial  shot  on  the  spot.  At  the  time  of 
my  visit  to  the  capital  there  were  thirty-one  criminals 
awaiting  the  death  penalty  in  Belem  Prison. 

A few  of  the  new  Mexican  prisons  are  conducted  on 
modern  principles,  and  the  prisoners  are  employed  at 
various  trades.  The  old  prisons,  however,  are  notoriously 
bad,  and  can  only  be  compared  with  those  of  the  middle 
ages.  An  English  writer  who  was  confined  in  one  of  them 
declares  that  their  management  and  discipline  are  incom- 
patible with  modern  civilization.  Belem  Prison  in  Mexico 
City,  he  says,  abounds  in  dark,  unventilated,  underground 
cells,  which  are  overrun  with  vermin ; there  is  no  attempt 
at  sanitation,  and  deaths  from  typhus  or  jail  fever  are  of 
frequent  occurrence.  The  prisoners,  he  adds,  are  half 
starved  and  are  beaten  or  tortured  for  petty  offences. 
They  have  neither  work  nor  recreation.  Important  polit- 
ical offenders  are  usually  kept  '‘incommunicado,’’  which 
means  solitary  confinement  for  long  intervals. 

Next  to  policemen,  soldiers  are  much  in  evidence  in  Mex- 
ico, the  army  being  an  important  national  institution. 
The  country  is  divided  into  several  military  districts,  and  in 
each  of  these  is  a certain  quota  of  troops.  Nearly  every 
town  of  any  size  has  a commandancia  or  barracks.  As 
mentioned  in  another  chapter,  most  of  the  Mexican  officers 
are  trained  at  Chapultepec.  Over  a third  of  the  commis- 
sioned members  of  the  army  graduate  from  that  institu- 
tion. The  student  binds  himself  for  seven  years’  service, 
and  should  he  be  discharged  or  refuse  to  serve,  he  must  re- 
pay the  government  about  ten  dollars  for  each  month  he 
has  remained  in  the  academy.  If  there  is  a war,  all  retired 
graduates  can  be  compelled  to  report  for  service.  There  is 
no  conscription  in  Mexico  and  the  soldier’s  pay  is  very  small. 

The  Mexican  standing  army  amounts  to  between  25,000 
and  30,000  men;  but  this  does  not  represent  the  total 


218 


MEXICO 


forces  of  the  Republic,  which  at  a time  of  emergency  could 
summon  86,000  reserves  to  the  colors.  Of  the  standing 
army  20,000  odd  are  infantry,  2000  artillery  and  5000 
cavalry,  while  there  are  small  corps  of  engineers  and  others. 
Infantry  and  cavalry  are  armed  with  the  Spanish  Mauser 
rifles  and  carbines.  The  headquarters  of  the  army  are  in 
Mexico  City,  and  several  battalions  of  infantry  and  regi- 
ments of  cavalry  are  stationed  there  at  all  times. 

Mexican  soldiers  usually  wear  either  a blue  cloth  or  white 
linen  uniform,  with  a blue  or  white  military  cap  or  glazed 
leather  Austrian-shaped  kepi.  One  of  the  artillery  regi- 
ments has  a uniform  of  German  appearance,  blue  with  red 
facings,  and  a bright,  spiked  brass  helmet.  Some  regiments 
wear  the  national  sombrero,  and  in  the  country  districts 
the  nacionales  sometimes  wear  a pudding-basin-shaped 
straw  hat  with  a ribbon  round  it.  All  the  cavalrymen 
have  a carbine  strapped  to  their  backs,  and  carry  revolvers 
as  well  as  swords.  The  majority  of  the  troops  are  Indians 
of  half  or  whole  blood. 

Some  of  the  crack  regiments  are  presentable  enough,  but 
the  average  Mexican  soldier  looks  somewhat  undisciplined 
and  sloppy.  As  to  their  fighting  qualities  there  is  a great 
difference  of  opinion,  some  authorities  declaring  them 
cowardly  and  untrustworthy,  while  others  assert  that  they 
are  brave  and  stubborn  fighters.  The  truth  is  that  there 
are  great  differences  in  the  methods  of  recruiting.  While 
the  nacionales,  who  are  equivalent  to  our  militia,  are  for 
the  most  part  a well -set-up,  loyal  body  of  men,  the  regulars 
are  quite  untrustworthy  and  have  little  or  no  patriotism. 
The  explanation  is  simple.  Most  of  them  are  men  who  as 
a penalty  for  some  crime  have  been  sentenced  to  serve  in 
the  army,  thus  forcing  them  into  the  service,  ill-drilled  and 
with  little  or  no  knowledge  of  the  use  of  firearms,  so  that  it 
is  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  they  will  make  good  soldiers. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


A MEXICAN  PARADISE 

to  Cuernavaca/^  said  an  American  friend,  as  I sat 
by  a diminutive  oil  stove  in  his  office  in  Mexico  City  one 
morning,  discussing  the  cold  weather  which  had  lasted 
through  the  first  weeks  of  November.  Cuernavaca,” 
he  continued,  “is  a place  of  orange  groves  and  flowers; 
it  is  always  warm,  and  it  has  the  finest  climate  in  the  world.” 
This  certainly  sounded  attractive,  and  as  I was  determined 
to  get  thawed  out  after  my  chilly  experiences  in  the  capital, 
I decided  to  take  his  advice.  The  next  morning  found  me 
on  a train  bound  for  the  mid- winter  paradise. 

Cuernavaca  is  about  seventy-four  miles  from  the  city, 
and  the  journey  is  one  that  never  loses  its  charm.  Not 
only  is  the  route  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railway  marvel- 
lously rich  in  scenic  attractions,  but  it  also  has  some  his- 
torical interest.  It  follows,  in  fact,  part  of  the  ancient 
mountain  trail  by  which  the  looting  Spaniards  passed  to 
and  fro  between  the  oceans  in  the  old  romantic  days. 
Loaded  with  Spanish  goods,  the  galleons  would  sail  from 
Barcelona  or  Cadiz  for  Vera  Cruz,  where  they  would  dis- 
charge their  cargoes.  A large  portion  of  this  freight  was 
taken  overland,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  being  carried  in  huge  carts  drawn  by  oxen,  over 
rough  trails  through  the  wondrous  wooded  mountains.  The 
port  of  Acapulco,  on  the  Pacific,  was  a busy  place  in  those 
days,  and  it  was  there  that  the  galleons  from  the  Philippine 
Islands  and  other  parts  of  the  East  unloaded  their  precious 

219 


220 


MEXICO 


freights  of  gold  and  jewels,  the  silks  of  China,  pearls,  jades 
and  ivory.  Packed  in  the  lumbering  carts,  this  treasure 
was  borne  over  the  mountains  to  Vera  Cruz,  where  it  was 
shipped  for  Spain. 

From  the  train  one  sees  to-day  the  long  lines  of  patient 
burros  threading  their  way  up  and  down  the  mountain- 
side with  loads  of  fruit  and  farm  produce  from  the  hot 
lands;  and  in  this  sleepy,  unprogressive  country  it  is  easy 
to  picture  those  ancient  pack-trains  commanded  by  the 
filibusters  of  Cortes.  The  railway  has  already  reached 
Balsas,  the  centre  of  a rich  mining  district  in  the  moun- 
tains; it  will  some  day  reach  Acapulco,  and  it  is  safe  to 
prophesy  for  the  old  port  a wonderful  trade  revival. 

On  leaving  Mexico  City,  the  train  crosses  the  plain  and 
then  starts  an  ascent,  winding  in  and  out  among  the  moun- 
tain peaks,  always  on  an  increasing  gradient,  till  before  the 
lucky  passengers  one  of  the  most  wonderful  views  it  is 
possible  to  imagine  unfolds  itself.  Stretching  to  the  horizon, 
which  is  broken  with  mountains,  lies  the  Valley  of  Mexico, 
as  the  plain  upon  which  the  capital  stands  is  called,  dotted 
over  with  villages  and  lakes.  At  this  great  height  Mexico 
City  looks  like  a toy  city,  flashing  a silver  gray  in  the  sun- 
shine and  dominated  by  the  two  towers  of  the  cathedral, 
reduced  to  pygmy  size.  As  the  train  climbs  higher,  the 
semi-tropical  vegetation  is  left  behind  and  the  region  of 
pines  is  entered.  Far  away  among  the  ridges  occasional 
patches  of  snow  can  be  seen,  and  now  and  again  a glimpse 
may  be  caught  of  the  great  snow-capped  peak  of  Popocat- 
epetl dwarfing  the  lesser  mountains.  The  highest  point 
is  reached  at  La  Cima  (the  summit)  9895  feet  above  sea- 
level.  Then  the  train  passes  the  stations  of  Toro  (the  bull) 
and  Tres  Marias  (Three  Marys),  the  latter  so  called  in  ref- 
erence to  three  pine-covered  peaks  near  by. 

A road  noticeably  good  in  a country  where  the  roads  for 


A MEXICAN  PARADISE 


221 


the  most  part  are  execrable  runs  from  Mexico  City  to  Cuer- 
navaca, crossing  the  line  at  Tres  Marias  and  disappearing 
among  the  pines.  This  road  was  built  for  motoring;  the 
track  of  an  old  road  was  partly  used  and  miles  of  new  road 
were  made,  the  money  for  the  undertaking  being  sub- 
scribed by  motor  enthusiasts,  assisted  by  the  government. 
So  excellent  is  the  road  and  so  direct  the  course  it  takes 
that  it  is  actually  quicker  to  motor  to  Cuernavaca  than  to 
take  the  train. 

Even  at  this  great  altitude  peons  may  be  seen  ploughing, 
and  in  many  places  the  soil  seems  to  be  black  and  rich. 
Mosses  and  flowers  of  northerly  regions  are  seen  growing 
among  the  rocks.  The  air,  even  in  summer,  is  often 
quite  nipping  at  Tres  Marias. 

At  the  gaunt,  gray  peak  of  Ajusco,  over  thirteen  thou- 
sand feet  high,  the  train  reaches  the  top  of  the  ridge  and 
begins  the  descent  into  the  Valley  of  Cuernavaca.  You 
see  then  the  other  panorama  of  the  mountain  range  stretch- 
ing westward ; a sea  of  rolling  hills  and  ancient  lava-flows 
miles  in  length,  with  here  and  there  small  lakes  and  Indian 
villages  dotted  over  the  valley,  almost  hidden  between  the 
mountains,  the  grayness  of  the  scene  brightened  by  emerald 
patches  of  sugar-cane. 

Cuernavaca  was  called  by  the  old  Indians  Cuauhnahuac, 
meaning  ^^Near  the  trees. The  Spaniards  — forerunners 
of  American  abbre viators — shortened  the  name  to  Cuer- 
navaca, meaning  Cow’s  horn.”  Running  through  the 
town  is  a deep,  rocky  ravine  covered  with  trees,  which  prob- 
ably gave  rise  to  the  ancient  name.  The  pretty  Spanish- 
Moorish  looking  town,  with  its  cream-colored  houses,  some 
flat-roofed,  others  red-tiled,  stands  on  the  side  of  a vast 
valley,  ringed  in  by  volcanic  hills  and  mountains.  Sur- 
rounding it  are  plantations  of  rice  and  coffee,  orchards 
of  oranges  and  groves  of  bananas,  mangos  and  mameys. 


222 


MEXICO 


It  is  4921  feet  above  the  sea  and  combines  a tropic  warmth 
with  a mild  and  temperate  climate,  making  it  an  almost 
perfect  resort  for  invalids,  particularly  for  those  suffering 
from  lung  or  bronchial  troubles. 

When  I left  Mexico  City  at  half -past  seven  in  the  morning, 
the  sky  was  cloudy,  the  sun  was  invisible  and  the  air  chill. 
In  Cuernavaca  there  was  a clear  blue  sky,  and  the  sun  was 
shining  with  all  the  warmth  of  a summer  day.  Passengers 
w^ho  wore  their  heavy  wraps  and  overcoats  were  glad  to 
take  them  off,  and  were  soon  perspiring  in  this  balmy  at- 
mosphere. Cuernavaca  profits  by  the  great  mountain  range 
which  lies  between  it  and  the  capital,  effectually  guarding 
it  from  the  northern  blasts  and  the  depressing  clouds  which 
accompany  them. 

The  town  is  about  half  a mile  from  the  station,  and  being 
shut  in  by  the  hills  cannot  be  seen  from  the  train.  Outside 
the  station  there  were  three  little  street-cars,  each  drawn 
by  two  mules ; these  take  the  passengers  and  their  luggage 
down  to  the  town  for  eight  cents  apiece.  People  who  are 
more  exclusive  can  take  a carriage  for  half  a dollar  and  get 
their  bones  well  shaken  in  riding  over  the  cobble-stone 
streets.  I rode  in  one  of  the  tram-cars  with  several 
blanketed  Indian  senores,  some  senoras  in  their  rebosas  and 
a few  white  fellow-travellers.  On  the  way  the  hotel  porter 
pointed  me  out  a hill  commanding  a fine  view  of  the  valley. 
This  is  the  site  of  an  American  model  city  for  well-to-do 
Americans  and  others,  which  is  to  be  laid  out  with  trees 
and  flowers  and  equipped  with  all  modern  conveniences. 
Already  several  picturesque  white  stone  bungalows,  with 
red-tiled  roofs,  have  been  built.  Fine  golf  links  have  also 
been  laid  down.  The  scheme  has  obtained  much  support, 
and  there  are  so  many  people  anxious  to  join  the  colony 
that  the  spot  looks  like  becoming  one  of  the  most  popular 
resorts  in  Mexico. 


A “BIT”  OF  CUERNAVACA. 

Showing  the  towers,  domes,  and  qnaiut  houses  in  this  beautiful  town. 


A MEXICAN  PARADISE 


223 


Our  car,  which  took  the  lead,  went  merrily  on  its  way 
for  a time,  and  then  through  the  reckless  driving  of  our 
Indian  Jehu  ran  off  the  line.  All  the  passengers  got  out 
and  lent  a hand  in  lifting  the  car  back  on  to  the  metals. 
Later  we  crossed  a fine  stone  bridge  over  the  ravine  or  bar- 
ranca, and  then  passed  through  a pretty  little  plaza  with  the 
inevitable  fountain  and  bright  flower  beds.  Growing  all 
over  the  rocks  in  the  ravine,  I noticed  a beautiful  convol- 
vulus of  sky-blue.  This  I afterwards  saw  in  other  parts 
of  Mexico.  Then  the  car  clattered  down  the  main  street, 
paved  with  rough  cobble-stones  and  lined  with  picturesque 
two-storied  houses  with  their  flat  roofs  and  barred  windows. 
Through  the  wide-open  doorways  there  were  occasional 
glimpses  to  be  had  of  quaint  patios,  cool  fountains  and 
flowers  of  many  colors.  Thus  we  progressed  to  the  main 
plaza,  planted  with  orange  trees,  where  the  car  stopped. 

There  are  two  hotels  in  Cuernavaca,  both  under  American 
management.  The  one  I chose  had  been  an  old  Spanish 
mansion,  and  was  to  some  extent  brought  up-to-date  to 
serve  as  a hotel.  In  the  large  tile-paved  patio,  open  to  the 
sky,  were  two  pretty  little  gardens  filled  with  tropical  plants 
and  flowers,  and  in  each  was  a fountain  of  sparkling  water. 
My  room,  with  cool,  tiled  floor,  seemed  quite  refreshing, 
and  the  heavy  lattice  to  the  windows  was  a welcome  pro- 
tection against  the  blaze  of  the  sun  which  would  otherwise 
have  poured  in.  For  the  first  time  since  reaching  Mexico 
I really  felt  grateful  for  shade  and  a cool  breeze.  My 
window  commanded  a beautiful  view  of  the  old  cathedral 
and  several  other  time-worn  churches,  with  their  soft  red 
walls  and  quaint  gray  towers.  Later  on,  when  I walked 
around  the  beautiful  little  town,  I could  understand  why 
it  is  the  Mecca  of  kodak  fiends  and  the  despair  of  artists  who 
find  its  glowing  tints  and  wonderful  effects  so  hard  to  catch. 

Adjoining  the  main  plaza  is  the  market-place,  with  its 


224 


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thick  stone  walls  and  red-tiled  roofs.  Here^  every  morning, 
the  Indian  women  are  found  selling  their  wares,  — oranges, 
bananas,  grenadines,  mangoes  and  other  tropical  fruits, 
with  a varied  assortment  of  dry  and  fresh  beans  and  other 
vegetables,  — squatting  patiently  on  the  ground  with  their 
little  piles  of  produce  before  them.  The  stalls  of  the 
pottery  sellers,  with  their  bright  red  stock-in-trade,  give 
a dash  of  color  to  the  scene.  In  the  centre  of  the  market- 
place, which  is  open  to  the  sky,  is  the  circular  stone  foun- 
tain where  the  market  people  get  their  water.  Round  the 
market  square,  under  the  massive  portales,  are  some  queer, 
old-fashioned  shops  or  general  stores. 

In  the  middle  of  the  town  stands  the  Government  Palace, 
a beautiful  little  building  of  white  stone,  which  was  once  the 
palace  of  Cortes,  and  was  finished  in  1531.  The  garden 
here,  although  it  was  December,  was  ablaze  with  flowers 
of  many  hues  — bright  red  hibiscus,  great  masses  of  ma- 
genta bougainvillea,  geraniums,  roses  and  lilies,  set  in  a 
velvety  green  lawn,  and  over  all  the  orange  and  grape- 
fruit trees  loaded  with  fragrant  blossoms  and  golden  fruit. 
From  the  rear  of  the  palace  there  is  a magnificent  view  of 
Popocatepetl  and  Ixtaccihuatl,  towering  above  the  clouds, 
their  snow-caps  glistening  bright  beneath  the  deep  blue 
sky.  In  this  picturesque  old  palace  meets  the  legislature 
of  the  State  of  Morelos,  of  which  Cuernavaca  is  the  capital. 

Not  far  from  here  is  the  venerable  Cathedral  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, founded  by  Franciscan  monks  in  1529.  This  also 
owed  something  to  Cortes,  having  originally  been  a convent 
which  he  liberally  endowed;  in  later  years  it  became  the 
parish  church,  and  has  now  reached  its  present  dignity. 
It  is  really  a series  of  churches  and  chapels,  with  connect- 
ing roofs  and  walls.  In  the  main  tower  there  is  a clock 
which  was  once  in  the  Cathedral  of  Segovia  and  was  a 
present  to  Cortes  from  Charles  the  Fifth. 


A MIJJTICAJV  FABABISi: 


225 


The  neighborhood  of  Cuernavaca  is  full  of  reminiscence 
of  the  Conqueror.  Close  to  the  town  is  the  hacienda  of 
Atlacomulco,  once  his  property,  and  still  owned  by  his 
descendants,  the  present  proprietor  being  the  Duke  of 
Terranova  and  Monteleone  of  Italy.  In  the  ancient 
hacienda  house,  constructed  of  massive  stone  after  the 
fashion  of  the  early  Spanish  builders,  there  are  preserved 
some  great  wooden  chests  which  are  said  to  have  been 
brought  from  Spain  by  Cortes.  Some  large  brown  earthen- 
ware jars,  which  are  carefully  guarded,  are  also  reputed  to 
have  been  in  use  in  his  time.  Most  of  the  estate  is  still 
devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  sugar-cane,  and  sugar  refining 
is  its  chief  industry. 

During  his  short-lived  empire,  Maximilian  had  a pretty 
home,  known  as  Olindo,  near  Cuernavaca,  and  here  he  used 
to  retire  with  the  Empress  Carlotta  for  a few  days’  rest 
from  cares  of  state. 

I spent  a very  pleasant  week  in  Cuernavaca,  strolling 
daily  about  its  cobble-paved  streets  which  wind  up  and 
down  hill,  charmed  with  its  romantic  old  houses  and 
churches.  With  its  background  of  rolling  mountains,  the 
deep  blue  sky,  its  red  roofs,  sunny  gardens  and  quaint 
byways,  Cuernavaca  bears  a striking  resemblance  to  one 
of  the  old  Italian  towns;  but  it  is  more  than  picturesque 
— it  is  unusually  clean  and  well-kept.  The  last  observa- 
tion also  applies  to  some  of  its  inhabitants,  for  even  the 
Indians  look  clean,  and  their  cotton  clothing  is  more  often 
white  than  gray-tinted.  This  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  town  has  an  excellent  water-supply  and  a fine  public 
bath. 

A beautiful  spot  in  the  old  town  is  the  Borda  Garden. 
Near  the  cathedral  is  the  mansion  built  by  Jose  de  la  Borda, 
a Mexican  silver  king  who  lived  in  the  good  old  days  when 
George  the  Second  was  king  of  England.  Marvellous  tales 


Q 


226 


MEXICO 


are  told  of  this  Mexican  Croesus,  who  dug  from  forty  to 
fifty  million  dollars  in  silver  from  his  mines  at  Tlalpujahua, 
Taxco  and  Zacatecas.  He  was  a generous  patron  to  the 
church,  and  spent  a million  dollars  or  more  on  the  edifice 
at  Taxco,  fifty  miles  from  Cuernavaca.  Jose  was  a French 
Canadian  who  had  wandered  into  Mexico,  and  there  made 
three  fortunes  and  lost  two  because  of  his  devotion  to 
mother  church.  In  the  State  of  Hidalgo  he  built  several 
churches,  and  his  devoutness  was  such  that  after  losing 
his  second  fortune,  the  Archbishop  of  Mexico  returned  to 
him  a magnificent  diamond-studded  ornament  which  he 
had  presented  to  the  church  at  Taxco.  The  sale  of  this 
altar-jewel  brought  him  a hundred  thousand  dollars,  which 
proved  the  foundation  of  another  fortune  of  many  mil- 
lions. 

Long  ago  the  Bordas  disappeared  from  Cuernavaca  and 
the  glory  of  their  old  mansion  has  also  departed.  By 
paying  twenty-five  centavos  any  one  may  enter  the  old 
garden  which  adjoins  the  long,  rambling  house,  with  its 
tiled  courts  and  patios.  Here  are  trees  and  flowers  of  the 
tropics,  terraced  slopes,  lakelets,  cascades  and  fountains 
which  in  all  are  said  to  have  cost  a million  dollars.  The 
whole  place  is  in  a state  of  decay,  but  there  is  beauty  even 
in  its  ruin.  The  stuccoed  walls  and  palisades  are  a soft 
pink  tint,  streaked  with  green  moss ; the  stone  paving  and 
steps  are  also  softened  by  the  hand  of  time;  the  statuary 
and  fountains  all  show  the  same  signs  of  neglected  age. 
On  the  little  lake,  bordered  with  mango  trees,  which  were 
loaded  with  fruit  when  I visited  the  place,  was  a thriving 
colony  of  swans  and  ducks,  but  otherwise  there  was  no 
vestige  of  life  in  the  old  pleasure-ground.  At  two  corners  of 
the  walls  are  quaint  stone  arbors  from  which  there  are  mag- 
nificent views  of  the  valley  and  the  rugged  mountains. 
One  of  these  nooks  overlooks  the  Indian  village  of  San 


A VIEW  FROM  CUERNAVACA. 


A MB^ICAJV  PAHAJDISI^ 


227 


Antone,  with  its  crumbling  stone  church,  very  much  like 
one  of  the  ancient  wayside  churches  of  southern  Italy. 

I spent  many  a restful  hour  in  the  old  Borda  Garden, 
and  derived  a good  deal  of  amusement  from  the  walls  of  the 
shady  arbors,  which  bore  hundreds  of  inscriptions  by  en- 
thusiastic visitors,  chiefly  American  tourists  from  such 
romantic  places  as  Union  City,  Neb.,”  Grimesville,  O.,” 
and  ^^Tin  Can,  Wash.”  But  such  comments  as  ^‘Hey, 
fellows,  Cuernavaca’s  all  right,  and  don’t  you  forget 
it,”  or  ^‘Say,  why  can’t  we  annex  Cuernavaca  to  Grand 
Rapids?”  however  well-meaning,  scarcely  harmonize  with 
the  antique.  Some  of  the  Mexican  young  men  and  maidens 
who  had  visited  the  place  had  evidently  been  aroused  to  a 
state  of  sentimental  frenzy,  and  there  were  numerous  Span- 
ish verses  pencilled  on  the  stucco  — lovesick  outbursts 
such  as,  ^^Ah!  mi  adorada!”  (Oh,  my  adored  one),  etc. 

I shared  the  garden’s  solitude  with  myriads  of  bright- 
eyed lizards,  browns  and  bronzes,  greens  and  yellows, 
forever  darting  over  the  mouldering  walls  or  lurking  in  the 
crevices  and  blinking  out  at  the  invader  of  their  haunts. 
But  even  here  one  was  not  safe  from  the  Mexican  beggar. 
The  wall  at  about  three  feet  from  the  roadway  was  pierced 
with  a series  of  square  holes  at  intervals,  and  as  I sauntered 
down  the  path  I was  startled  by  a voice  crying  to  me  from 
some  unknown  place,  ^^Un  centavo,  senor.”  A Mexican 
urchin  had  spotted  the  stranger  and  was  serenading  me 
with  the  cadging  cry  through  each  hole  ! 

Cuernavaca  has  a number  of  visitors  all  the  year  round, 
and  during  the  tourist  season,  from  February  till  April,  large 
parties  come  down  from  the  City.  In  the  main  street  I 
noticed  the  English  Tea  Rooms,”  the  American  Curio 
Store”  and  the  American  Tourist’s  Supply  Depot,”  the  out- 
ward and  visible  signs  of  the  tourist  invasion.  Motoring 
trips  from  Mexico  City  to  the  town  are  very  popular,  and 


228 


MEXICO 


every  Saturday  cars  make  the  trip  across  the  mountains, 
bringing  week-end  parties. 

The  deep,  rocky  ravine  called  “the  barranca,^’  which 
runs  through  Cuernavaca,  is  a favorite  ride  for  visitors, 
who  mount  the  patient  burro  or  the  restless  Mexican 
bronco.  There  are  Indian  huts  amid  groves  of  oranges 
and  bananas  scattered  through  the  ravine,  and  in  its  wind- 
ing depths  runs  a clear  mountain  stream.  A zigzag  rocky 
path  leads  into  the  barranca,  where  an  old  stone  bridge 
crosses  the  stream,  and  toiling  up  the  other  side  one  reaches 
the  little  Indian  village  of  San  Antone.  Here  a fierce  battle 
was  fought  between  the  Spaniards  under  Cortes  and  the 
Tlahuica  Indians,  whose  descendants  are  still  living  on  the 
spot,  probably  much  in  the  same  way  as  their  forefathers 
did  at  the  Conquest. 

I often  crossed  the  barranca  to  San  Antone  in  the  cool 
of  the  afternoon,  passing  the  ancient  pink-tinted  little 
church,  with  its  mouldering  walls  and  its  neglected  church- 
yard, in  which  stands  a moss-streaked  stone  cross  with  a 
half-obliterated  inscription.  The  village  street  is  bordered 
with  rude  adobe  huts,  embowered  in  tropical  foliage, 
orange  trees,  palms  and  sometimes  the  gorgeous  bougain- 
villea and  poinsettia.  Most  of  the  natives  of  San  Antone 
are  potters,  producing  the  famous  red  Cuernavaca  ware; 
and  they  can  be  seen  at  work  in  their  yards  turning  out 
vessels  of  classic  shape  that  might  have  been  moulded  in 
ancient  Greece  or  Rome.  There,  too,  you  may  see  the 
potter  at  his  wheel,  ^Hhumping  his  wet  clay in  true  Orien- 
tal style.  The  squatting  earthenware  makers  are  pictu- 
resque enough ; but  here  and  there  by  the  roadside  may 
be  seen  even  a prettier  picture,  just  a young,  dark-eyed 
Indian  lassie  sitting  on  her  straw  mat,  beneath  the  shade 
of  a red  sarape,  making  some  bowl  or  jar  of  graceful  design, 
her  sole  utensils  being  a piece  of  broken  glass  and  a horse- 


A MEXICAN  PABABISE 


229 


hair.  With  the  latter  in  her  teeth  she  will  trim  the  lip  of 
a water-jug,  smoothing  the  edges  afterwards  with  the  glass, 
bending  her  small  black  head  untiringly  over  her  work. 

On  one  side  of  the  village  street  runs  a mountain  stream, 
and  here  the  Indian  women,  as  the  evening  shades  are  fall- 
ing, can  be  seen  washing  their  household  ware  and  cleans- 
ing the  linen ; while  from  the  huts  comes  the  sound  of  the 
patting  of  tortillas  for  the  family  meal  and  the  low,  crooning 
voices  of  women  singing  melancholy  Indian  songs.  The 
smoke  from  the  wood  fires  fills  the  air  with  pungent  fumes. 
Indian  girls  with  water  jars  poised  gracefully  on  their  heads 
patter  homeward  from  the  village  well.  Peons  swathed 
in  their  red  blankets  trudge  wearily  back  from  work. 
Then  from  the  old  church  is  heard  the  soft  chiming  of  the 
angelus,  and  a hush  falls  on  the  village  as  you  wend  your 
way  back  towards  the  twinkling  electric  lights  of  Cuerna- 
vaca, the  steep  barranca  alone  separating  the  ancient  from 
the  modern. 

A bright  young  mozo  with  whom  I struck  up  an  ac- 
quaintance gave  me  some  interesting  information  about  the 
Indians  of  San  Antone  and  their  peculiar  customs.  In  his 
broken  English  he  told  me  that  there  were  two  ancient 
women  in  the  village  who  were  alleged  to  be  witches  and 
possessed  of  wonderful  powers  as  fortune-tellers.  ^^They 
take  old  Indian  figure  dug  from  the  ground,’’  he  said  (mean- 
ing one  of  the  old  Aztec  idols),  ^‘and  then  they  put  burning 
flax  before  it  at  night,  look  in  fire  and  tell  you  all  that 
happens.”  ^^Did  you  ever  have  your  fortune  told  ? ” I asked. 
^‘No,  no,  sehor,”  he  replied,  ^^I  too  much  fear.  Our  padre 
he  say  if  you  deal  with  those  people  you  go  to  bad  place.” 
One  could  easily  imagine  that  an  old  wrinkled  Indian  crone 
kneeling,  on  a dark  night,  and  gazing  into  the  smouldering 
fire  before  some  horrible  Aztec  idol,  would  make  so  weird 
and  terrifying  a scene  that  my  friend  the  mozo  might 


230 


MEXICO 


well  be  excused  for  hesitating  to  consult  the  powers  of 
darkness. 

No  description  of  Cuernavaca  would  be  complete  without 
a mention  of  its  exquisite  sunsets  and  evening  effects. 
The  height  and  the  mountain  air  conspire  to  create  some  of 
the  most  glorious  sky  pictures  that  it  is  possible  to  imagine  ; 
such  bewildering  masses  of  scarlets,  blues  and  gold,  giving 
soft  hues  to  the  snow-capped  peaks,  and  lighting  the  domes 
of  the  old  cathedral  and  the  soft  red  roofs  of  the  houses 
nestling  below.  No  one  who  loves  nature  could  stand  un- 
moved before  the  spectacle  of  this  sky  splendor;  and  one 
sympathizes  with  the  stranger  of  whom  the  story  is  told 
that  he  would  stand  hat  in  hand,  in  reverent  attitude,  on  the 
flat  roof  of  a house  at  Cuernavaca,  looking  towards  the  set- 
ting sun  as  if  in  worship.  The  distant  hills,  shaded  in  ex- 
quisite opalescent  tints,  standing  clear  against  the  sky, 
with  groups  of  the  white-trunked  royal  palms  in  the  fore- 
ground, crowned  with  their  glories  of  dark  green,  make  such 
a picture  as  lives  in  the  memory  forever. 

But  one  might  go  on  indefinitely  in  praise  of  Cuernavaca, 
its  wonderful  climate  and  its  lovely  views,  which  remind 
one  of  what  Mark  Twain  once  said  of  a New  Zealand  town : 

People  stopped  here  on  their  way  from  home  to  heaven, 
thinking  they  had  arrived.^^  The  sunshine  and  soft,  dry 
air  do  much  to  make  the  place  a veritable  subtropical  para- 
dise, while  the  delicious  coolness  of  its  streets  is  due  to  its 
fountains  and  streams,  which  are  fed  from  the  surrounding 
mountains.  But  above  and  beyond  all  its  beauties  is  the 
wealth  of  flowers,  each  little  patio  being  an  oasis  of  exquisite 
bloom.  One  street  of  half  a mile  was  actually  bordered 
by  oleander  trees  loaded  with  blossoms  of  pink  and  white. 

There  are  plenty  of  interesting  sights  to  be  seen  in  the 
country  about  Cuernavaca,  especially  the  Aztec  remains, 
which  are  very  numerous.  I made  a trip  of  eighteen  miles 


AZTEC  ARCHITECTURE. 

A section  of  the  vast  ruins  of  Xochicalco  near  Cuernavaca. 


A MEXICAN  PABADISE 


231 


one  day  to  the  ruins  of  Xochicalco,  which  are  believed  to 
represent  what  was  once  a fortified  post  or  military  colony 
established  by  the  Aztecs  to  maintain  their  authority 
among  the  hill  tribes  of  the  western  slope.  The  ruins, 
which  are  situated  on  the  top  of  a steep  hill,  are  in  the  form 
of  a large  rectangular  pyramid,  constructed  of  well-shaped 
granite  blocks,  ranging  from  four  to  six  feet  in  width. 
Sculptured  in  relief  on  the  upper  walls  are  colossal  figures 
of  warriors  in  feathered  head-dress,  wearing  elaborate  ear- 
rings, bracelets  and  breastplates.  Most  of  them  are  broad- 
nosed, with  sloping  foreheads  — the  peculiar  Aztec  type. 
Surrounding  these  figures  are  feathered  serpents,  — the 
emblem  of  Quetzalcoatl,  — and  rabbits,  birds  and  wolves, 
supposed  to  represent  certain  years  and  events.  There  are 
also  a variety  of  other  hieroglyphics,  the  key  to  which  has 
never  been  discovered.  The  carvings  are  wonderful  in 
execution  and  exceedingly  artistic.  Some  of  the  warriors 
might  almost  have  been  copied  from  the  sculptures  of 
Egyptian  temples. 

Remarkably  .well  selected  was  the  site  of  this  ancient 
stronghold,  for  it  commands  a view  of  the  country  for  miles 
round.  Beneath  it  there  are  several  passages  faced  with 
cut  stone,  one  of  which  ends  in  a square  chamber  75  feet  long 
and  68  feet  wide,  which  may  have  been  a temple.  The 
central  ruin  and  some  smaller  structures  which  are  scattered 
about  are  being  slowly  destroyed  by  time  and  the  rank 
vegetation,  the  roots  of  trees  and  huge  creeping  plants  push- 
ing their  way  between  the  stones  and  forcing  them  from 
their  places. 

A day^s  journey  to  the  westward  from  Cuernavaca  takes 
one  to  the  caves  of  Cacahuamilpa,  which  are  among  the 
wonders  of  the  world  and  surpass  even  the  famous  Mammoth 
Caves  of  Kentucky.  In  the  village  of  Cacahuamilpa  there 
is  a small  hotel,  clean  and  comfortable,  the  proprietor  of 


232 


MEXICO 


which  provides  guides  for  visitors.  The  caves  have  been 
explored  for  over  twenty  miles,  the  winding  passages  lead- 
ing to  a series  of  natural  halls,  glittering  with  enormous 
stalagmites,  which  are  still  in  process  of  formation.  Some 
of  these  have  taken  grotesque  shapes  or  formed  huge  pillars 
of  a hundred  feet  or  more  in  height.  One  curious  figure, 
called  the  camel,  from  its  resemblance  to  that  animal,  is 
said  by  geologists  to  have  taken  from  seventy  to  eighty 
thousand  years  to  attain  its  present  dimensions.  All  this 
wonderful  subterranean  work  has  been  done  by  the  action 
of  water  which  once  flowed  through  the  caves  and  is  still 
oozing  through  the  rock.  Two  rushing  rivers  still  flow 
beneath  the  caves,  and  are  probably  hollowing  out  other 
caverns  for  completion  ages  hence. 

Among  the  most  wonderful  chambers  is  the  Sala  del 
Trono  or  Throne  Room,  which  is  upwards  of  seven  hundred 
feet  in  length,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide  and  over 
five  hundred  feet  high.  An  American  writer  in  attempt- 
ing to  give  an  idea  of  the  size  of  this  immense  cavern,  hu- 
morously says,  If  one  of  the  great  New  York  skyscrapers, 
three  hundred  feet  in  height,  were  placed  inside  the  Throne 
Room,  a man  standing  on  the  top  of  it  would  need  a feather 
duster  with  a handle  two  hundred  feet  long  to  sweep  the 
cobwebs  off  the  cavern  ceiling. On  one  side  of  this  vast 
chamber  are  two  masses  of  stalagmites  and  stalactites,  form- 
ing two  beautiful  thrones,  from  which  the  cavern  derives 
its  name.  When  lighted  with  magnesium  light,  the  glitter- 
ing effects  of  this  hall  of  crystal  are  wondrously  beautiful. 
Another  majestic  chamber  is  called  the  Vestibule,  the  walls 
being  covered  with  stalactites  and  stalagmites  resembling 
the  purest  Parian  marble,  carved  in  various  graceful  forms 
and  beautifully  polished.  Not  far  off  is  El  Campanario, 
so  called  from  a number  of  stalactites  in  it  which  give  forth 
a bell-like  sound  when  struck. 


A MEXICAN  PARADISE 


233 


The  passages  are  so  winding  and  confusing  that  it  is 
dangerous  to  penetrate  even  a short  distance  inside  the 
caverns  without  an  experienced  guide.  A melancholy 
reminder  of  this  fact  is  a gloomy  cavern  known  as  El  Ped- 
regal  del  Muerto,  where  the  skeletons  of  two  tourists  who 
endeavored  to  explore  the  caves  without  a guide  were  found 
some  years  ago. 

The  hot  lands  bordering  the  Pacific  Ocean  are  reached 
by  railway  from  Cuernavaca,  the  present  terminus,  Balsas, 
being  in  the  State  of  Guerrero.  This  important  State,  which 
stretches  along  the  coast  for  nearly  three  hundred  miles,  has 
nearly  half  a million  inhabitants  and  approximately  covers 
twenty-two  thousand  square  miles.  The  climate  is  very 
hot  the  whole  year  round.  In  this  part  of  the  country 
there  is  some  wonderful  scenery,  with  mountain  ranges 
clothed  with  the  dense  verdure  of  the  tropics,  rushing  rivers, 
and  precipices  thousands  of  feet  high.  Until  the  railway 
is  complete,  which  has  as  its  eventual  goal  Acapulco,  mule 
pack-trains  carry  goods  and  travellers  over  the  mountain 
between  Balsas  and  the  Pacific  coast. 

Guerrero  abounds  in  prehistoric  ruins  which  are  believed 
to  have  been  in  the  same  condition  when  Montezuma 
reigned  in  Tenochtitlan,  and  then,  as  now,  little  was  known 
of  the  builders  of  these  ancient  structures.  Professor 
William  Niven,  an  American  archeologist,  says  that  tens 
of  thousands  of  ruins  of  buildings  which  had  been  sub- 
stantially built  of  stone  are  still  in  existence.  During  his 
work  of  exploration  in  this  part  of  Mexico,  Mr.  Niven  has 
unearthed  some  beautiful  objects  of  gold,  including  idols, 
amulets  and  dress  ornaments  of  artistic  design,  proving 
that  the  prehistoric  goldsmiths  were  workmen  of  great 
skill. 

Some  Mexicans  believe  that  the  mysterious  region  from 
which  Montezuma  obtained  his  supplies  of  gold  — which 


234 


MEXICO 


was  never  revealed  to  the  Spaniards  — is  situated  some- 
where in  Guerrero.  The  country  is  certainly  rich  in  minerals, 
and  numbers  of  English  and  Americans  are  engaged  in 
mining  there.  More  than  five  hundred  mining  properties, 
with  a total  area  of  fourteen  thousand  acres,  are  being 
worked  in  the  State.  Copper,  gold,  lead  and  silver,  with 
other  minerals  of  less  value,  are  all  successfully  worked,  and 
from  the  miner’s  point  of  view  the  district  is  practically 
virgin.  So  far,  the  difficulty  of  access  has  kept  prospectors 
away,  but  with  the  extension  of  the  railway  a wonderful 
era  of  mining  development  is  bound  to  follow. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  ANGELS 

The  difference  between  the  American  and  his  neighbor 
the  Mexican  is  strikingly  illustrated  in  the  names  and 
history  of  their  respective  cities.  In  a past  age  many  a 
shrewd  Yankee,  with  an  eye  to  business,  induced  his  friends 
to  start  a town,  and  while  growing  rich  by  speculating  in 
real  estate,  perpetuated  his  memory  by  naming  the  place 
after  himself.  Thus  we  have  our  Higgsvilles,  Smithburgs 
and  other  cities  of  prosaic  name.  The  Mexican,  with  his 
more  romantic  nature  and  devotion  to  the  church,  usually 
named  his  town  after  some  beautiful  view  near  at  hand, 
or  some  wonderful  miracle  which  was  supposed  to  have 
happened  on  the  spot.  It  was  a miracle  that  led  to  the 
founding  of  Puebla,  a city  with  a population  of  125,000, 
which  claims  to  be  next  in  importance  to  the  capital. 

The  story  is  that  a good  friar,  Julian  Garcia,  who  lived 
in  the  early  Spanish  days,  had  a wonderful  dream  in  which 
he  saw  a beautiful  plain  near  two  great  snow-capped  moun- 
tains. There  were  also  two  springs  which  fed  rivers  of 
abundant  water.  As  he  beheld  this  vision,  two  angels 
appeared  with  rod  and  chain  and  measured  off  streets  and 
squares  as  if  planning  a city.  Then  appeared  a flight  of 
angels  singing  a song  of  praise  to  the  accompaniment  of 
heavenly  music.  The  friar  determined  to  And  the  place  he 
had  seen  in  his  dream,  and  after  journeying  many  weary 
miles  he  eventually  reached  the  site  of  Puebla,  which  he 
at  once  recognized  as  the  spot  he  had  seen  in  his  vision. 

235 


236 


MEXICO 


As  this  was  sufficient  evidence  of  a miracle,  the  good  old 
man  persuaded  the  Spanish  settlers  to  build  a town  there, 
and  this  grew  to  be  the  City  of  Puebla,  or  as  it  was  originally 
called,  Puebla  de  los  Angeles  (The  City  of  the  Angels). 

With  such  a miraculous  beginning  it  is  not  surprising 
that  Puebla  should  have  been  much  favored  by  the  devout 
in  early  times.  So  lavish  were  their  endowments  and  so 
wonderful  the  amount  of  building  which  followed  that  to-day 
there  is  hardly  a street  in  the  city  that  does  not  have  its 
array  of  churches,  their  towers  and  domes  rising  in  every 
direction.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  Puebla  is  often  re- 
ferred to  as  ^Hhe  City  of  Churches.’^  In  former  days  pil- 
grims journeyed  thither  from  afar  to  worship  at  the  many 
shrines  in  the  old  city.  It  is  still  one  of  the  ‘^show  places^’ 
of  Mexico  and  attracts  many  visitors;  but  most  of  these 
pilgrims  are  tourists  bent  on  sight-seeing. 

It  is  a curious  fact  that  pilgrimages  to  holy  places  are 
usually  difficult  and  unpleasant.  The  devout  Mahomme- 
dan  who  travels  to  Mecca  does  not  find  it  exactly  a pleasure 
trip;  and  it  is  said  that  the  journey  to  Lhasa  has  enough 
misery  in  it  to  last  two  ordinary  lifetimes.  It  is  probably 
on  this  account  that  the  passenger  trains  of  the  Interoceanic 
Railway  take  about  six  hours  to  run,  or  rather  jog,  from 
Mexico  City  to  Puebla,  a distance  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  miles.  The  passengers,  I suppose,  are  regarded 
as  pilgrims,  and  as  such  have  no  rights  that  a railway 
company  is  bound  to  respect. 

This  was  the  journey  I took  one  bleak  morning  in  Decem- 
ber, starting  at  an  unreasonably  early  hour.  In  the  first- 
class  car  in  which  I travelled  the  temperature  was  un- 
deniably frigid,  and  a little  steam  heat  or  a foot-warmer 
would  have  been  extremely  welcome.  Some  of  my  Mexican 
fellow-passengers  had  come  prepared  for  the  cold,  and  took 
frequent  draughts  from  black  bottles,  with  grateful  ex- 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  ANGELS 


237 


ciamations  of  ^^Bueno/^  As  I was  unprovided  with  a 
bottle,  I sat  and  shivered.  There  is,  however,  a silver 
lining  to  the  dark  clouds  of  even  a pilgrim,  for  as  the  day 
went  on  the  sky  became  clear  and  intensely  blue,  while  the 
sun  made  itself  felt  to  such  a degree  that  the  temperature 
in  our  car  became  almost  too  sultry  — the  usual  contrast. 

The  journey  to  Puebla  is  not  without  interest.  On  leav- 
ing the  city  the  train  crossed  the  plain  and  wound  in  and 
out  among  the  sun-baked  hills,  giving  occasional  glimpses 
of  the  snow-clad  peaks  of  Popocatepetl  and  Ixtaccihuatl. 
From  the  hills  there  were  long  stretches  of  barren  country ; 
now  and  again  plantations  of  maguey ; frequent  dry  water- 
courses; and  sometimes  maize  fields,  where  the  dry  stalks 
remained  from  the  last  harvest.  Half  the  trees  along  the 
way  were  bare  of  leaves,  and  when  there  was  any  grass  it 
was  sere  and  yellow.  This,  as  I have  already  observed, 
is  the  prevailing  appearance  of  the  Mexican  highlands 
during  the  winter  months.  The  only  green  vegetation  to 
be  seen  is  on  an  occasional  irrigated  field. 

In  the  tropical  part  of  Mexico,  where  there  is  moisture 
and  rain  even  during  the  winter,  the  vegetation  is  always 
green.  But  for  the  lack  of  rainfall  and  the  difficulties  of 
irrigation,  the  temperate  zone  of  Mexico  would  be  ideal  for 
the  growing  of  all  kinds  of  grain  which  flourish  in  Europe, 
As  it  is,  the  great  staple  food  of  the  Mexicans  is  Indian  corn, 
several  million  bushels  of  which  are  raised  every  year,  while 
little  effort  is  made  to  grow  other  crops.  Wheat,  which 
was  introduced  into  Mexico  by  a Spanish  monk,  is  grown 
extensively  in  some  districts ; but  as  there  is  only  enough 
for  local  consumption,  a large  quantity  of  flour  is  imported 
from  the  United  States.  This  is  used  for  making  bread, 
cake  and  all  the  fancy  rolls  which  are  served  in  the  better- 
class  restaurants  and  hotels. 

My  pilgrimage  to  Puebla  ended  at  two  in  the  afternoon, 


238 


MEXICO 


when  I reached  the  picturesque  city  of  white  houses  and 
glittering  church  domes.  Outside  the  station  there  was 
the  usual  array  of  heavy,  lumbering  cabs  and  also  some 
diminutive  tram-cars,  drawn  by  two  mules,  which  ran  to 
all  parts  of  the  city.  Each  car  was  provided  with  a big 
gong  which  the  driver  clanged  incessantly,  as  if  to  awaken 
any  drowsy  peons  who  might  be  in  the  way. 

I took  a cab  to  drive  to  my  hotel,  but  soon  repented  of 
this  rash  act,  for  the  street  paving  of  unevenly  laid  cobble- 
stones was  simply  execrable.  In  some  places  the  roadways 
formed  miniature  hills  and  valleys,  so  that  my  cab  pitched 
and  shook  like  a storm-tossed  vessel.  In  the  middle  of  the 
streets  were  deep  gutters  — so  deep,  indeed,  that  at  some 
of  the  street  crossings  they  were  bridged  over.  I heard 
afterwards  that  the  streets  of  Puebla  — like  those  of  Vera 
Cruz,  Orizaba  and  some  other  towns  — were  to  be  repaved 
with  asphalt  in  the  course  of  a few  months,  and  that  electric 
cars  would  take  the  place  of  the  mule  tramway. 

The  Arcade  Hotel,  where  my  coche  eventually  landed  me, 
is  conducted  in  French  style  by  an  enterprising  Mexican, 
and  it  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  in  the 
Republic.  I found  that  its  reputation  is  well  deserved. 
After  luncheon,  at  the  invitation  of  mine  host,  I went  to 
the  roof,  where  I had  a magnificent  view  of  the  city  and  the 
towers  and  domes  of  its  churches,  some  white,  some  red, 
others  blue,  yellow  and  pink.  Beyond  the  great  plain  sur- 
rounding the  town  are  rolling  hills  and  mountains  of  reddish 
tint,  in  the  foreground  the  gaunt  peak  of  Malinche;  in 
another  direction  tower  the  snow-tipped  peaks  of  Popo- 
catepetl and  Ixtaccihuatl ; and  still  further  off,  in  the  blue 
distance,  rises  the  snow-dome  of  Orizaba. 

A wonderfully  quaint  old  city  is  Puebla,  and  much  more 
typical  of  Mexico  than  is  the  capital.  Its  flat-roofed  build- 
ings, usually  of  two  or  three  stories,  look  a good  deal  like 


IN  OLD  PUEBLA. 

One  of  the  quaint  streets  in  this  picturesque  city. 


THE  PYRAMID  OF  CHOLULA. 

In  the  foreground  is  a peon  using  the  ancient  wooden  plough. 
(See  page  244.) 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  ANGELS 


239 


the  older  buildings  in  Mexico  City;  but  there  is  far  less 
rebuilding,  renovating  and  Americanizing  in  progress. 
Most  of  the  houses  are  painted  a cream  white,  but  here  and 
there  they  are  tinted  in  some  soft  shade  of  color  which  gives 
a pleasing  variety.  Beautiful,  too,  are  the  fine  old  Spanish 
mansions  in  which  Puebla  abounds,  many  of  them  having 
their  exteriors  decorated  with  tiles  of  superb  glazing  and 
ancient  Moorish  design.  These,  in  some  instances,  form 
mosaics  representing  figures  of  saints  or  birds  and  animals. 
The  city  was  once  famous  for  these  tiles,  which  were  made 
by  the  Indian  potters,  but  the  industry  is  now  dead  and  the 
art  is  lost.  In  almost  every  street  one  passes  church  after 
church,  in  various  architectural  styles,  some  of  them  huge 
edifices  large  enough  for  cathedrals.  Each  is  of  a different 
tint ; some  of  the  exteriors  are  beautifully  carved ; the  domes 
and  towers  of  some  are  adorned  with  tiles  and  many  of 
the  domes  are  gilded.  The  tiled  fagades  of  the  old  houses 
and  the  varied  hues  and  tiles  of  the  churches  combine  to 
give  the  streets  a wealth  of  color  that  would  delight  the 
soul  of  an  artist. 

Puebla,  however,  is  not  only  famous  for  its  churches  and 
picturesque  streets ; but  it  is  closely  associated  with  those 
inspiring  words,  ^^Cinco  de  Mayo’^  (the  5th  of  May),  which 
mean  so  much  to  patriotic  Mexicans.  For  it  was  at  Puebla, 
on  the  5th  of  May,  1862,  that  General  Zaragoza,  with  a small 
force  of  Mexican  troops,  defeated  a large  French  army,  a 
brilliant  victory  which  ultimately  led  to  the  triumph  of  the 
Republic. 

Still  other  claims  to  distinction  has  Puebla.  It  is  the 
capital  of  the  State  of  Puebla,  — the  richest  of  the  Mexican 
States,  — which  is  immensely  wealthy  in  agricultural  and 
mineral  products.  The  city  is  also  an  important  manu- 
facturing place,  particularly  for  cotton  goods,  paper,  and 
that  article  so  loathed  by  the  Mexican  peon  — soap.  Iron 


240 


MEXICO 


founding,  woodworking  and  a number  of  other  industries 
also  occupy  the  busy  Pueblans. 

Puebla  nobly  maintains  its  reputation  as  the  cleanest  city 
in  Mexico.  Its  streets  are  remarkably  well  kept,  streams 
of  clear  water  continually  run  through  the  deep  gutters 
and  the  sanitary  regulations  are  carefully  enforced.  In 
different  quarters  there  are  parks  and  plazas,  with  trees, 
fountains,  flowers  and  some  good  statuary,  which  add  much 
to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  city.  Perhaps  the  most  in- 
teresting of  the  public  squares  is  the  Plaza  Mayor,  where 
stand  the  cathedral  and  several  fine  public  buildings,  in- 
cluding the  new  Municipal  Palace,  designed  by  an  English 
architect.  There  are  some  attractive  shops  in  the  plaza, 
and  also  in  a fine  glass-covered  arcade  leading  out  of  it, 
which  resembles  the  Burlington  Arcade  in  London,  but  is 
on  a larger  scale.  Some  of  the  shop  windows  contain 
great  displays  of  paper-weights,  inkstands,  picture-frames, 
and  various  novelties  made  of  Puebla  onyx  in  all  shades 
of  color,  the  most  delicate  being  the  red  and  green.  Near 
the  city  there  are  some  large  quarries  of  onyx,  quantities 
of  which  are  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  world  to  be  used 
for  interior  decoration. 

In  Puebla,  churches,  of  course,  are  among  the  principal 
sights,  the  finest  of  all  being  the  cathedral,  which  was  com- 
pleted in  1636  and  rivals  that  of  Mexico  City  in  size  and 
grandeur.  Onyx,  rare  woods  and  gold  have  been  lavishly 
used  in  the  interior,  giving  it  a wonderfully  rich  appearance. 
Inside  the  choir,  a superb  specimen  of  architecture,  there 
hangs  a chandelier  of  solid  silver  which  is  said  to  have  cost 
$75,000.  The  pulpit  is  carved  from  Puebla  onyx,  and  the 
high  altar  — the  work  of  a native  artist  — is  a wonderful 
combination  of  onyx  and  almost  every  Mexican  marble. 
Some  fine  Flemish  tapestries  on  the  walls  of  the  sacristy 
were  presented  to  the  cathedral  by  Charles  the  Fifth  of 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  ANGELS 


241 


Spain.  The  churches  of  San  Francisco  (1532),  La  Com- 
pania  (1557)  and  San  Cristobal,  of  about  the  same  period, 
are  among  the  scores  of  churches  which  give  Puebla  its  title. 

The  fact  that  I was  in  a city  of  churches  was  painfully 
recalled  to  me  the  next  morning  when  I was  aroused  from 
my  slumbers  soon  after  daybreak  by  such  a banging  and 
clanging  of  bells  that  I thought  an  earthquake  was  in 
progress. 

Being  7091  feet  above  sea-level,  — somewhat  lower  than 
the  capital,  — Puebla  is  a little  more  removed  from  the 
“ northers, but  when  one  is  blowing,  the  temperature  at 
night  is  far  from  tropical.  When  I reached  the  city,  the 
day  was  as  warm  as  a fine  June  day  in  New  York;  but 
when  the  sun  went  down  there  was  a sudden  change  to 
November,  and  a good  blazing  fire  would  have  been  a wel- 
come addition  to  the  comforts  of  my  hotel.  To  while  away 
the  time,  I went  to  a cinematograph  show,  but  the  cold 
pursued  me  even  there.  In  order  to  ward  off  chills  and 
pneumonia,  I had  to  wear  my  overcoat  in  the  hall,  and  even 
then  I was  unable  to  sit  through  the  performance  without 
going  out  now  and  then  to  get  a hot  drink.  The  Indians 
in  the  audience  wrapped  their  blankets  tightly  about  them 
and  sat  watching  the  pictures,  grimly  defying  the  cold. 
It  was  Christmas  week,  and  a large  number  of  these  swarthy 
natives  had  come  in  from  the  country  to  do  their  marketing 
and  see  the  sights.  I witnessed  an  amusing  example  of 
their  superstition. 

An  Indian  family  sat  in  front  of  me,  and  it  was  evident 
that  they  were  seeing  a cinematograph  show  for  the  first 
time.  The  worthy  peon,  his  wife  and  children,  seemed  be- 
wildered with  amazement,  and  frequently  crossed  them- 
selves. At  last  some  French  colored  pictures  were  flashed 
on  the  screen.  The  figure  of  a magician  appeared,  looking 
very  much  like  Mephistopheles,  and  in  front  of  him  was 


242 


MEXICO 


a pumpkin.  This  he  touched  with  his  wand,  and  immedi- 
ately it  was  transformed  into  six  sprightly  ballet  girls. 
After  several  transformations  the  wizard  touched  the  fig- 
ures, which  disappeared  in  a cloud  of  smoke  and  flame. 
This  was  too  much  for  the  Indians.  The  man  rose,  mut- 
tering Diablo,  magio,  no  mas,  no  mas^^  (the  Devil, 
magic;  no  more,  no  more),  crossed  himself  repeatedly  and, 
followed  by  his  wife  and  family,  all  apparently  very  much 
terrified,  hurried  from  the  hall.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  these 
Indians  had  a horrible  story  to  tell  their  padre  when  they 
went  to  confession  the  next  Sunday. 

As  I strolled  about  the  city  that  evening,  I saw  some 
other  interesting  sights.  Many  of  the  streets  were  lined 
with  stalls  for  the  sale  of  Christmas  goods,  dulces,  toys, 
mats  and  baskets  of  colored  straw,  the  crude  earthenware 
of  Puebla,  colored  clay  figures  and  various  knick-knacks. 
There  were  also  gayly  colored  pinates,  some  of  them  in  the 
form  of  oval  jars,  handsomely  decorated  with  tinsel  and 
streams  of  tissue  paper.  Others  were  made  up  in  large, 
grotesque  figures  of  clowns,  ballet  girls,  monks  and 
animals. 

These  pinates  (pronounced  'pin-yah-tay)  are  the  Christ- 
mas trees  of  Mexico,  and  take  the  place  of  those  features 
of  the  English  Christmas  in  the  affection  of  the  little  ones. 
The  jars  or  figures  are  stuffed  with  sweets,  crackers,  rattles, 
whistles  and  other  toys,  and  parents  — usually  on  Christ- 
mas Eve  — hang  them  from  the  ceiling  of  a room  or  on  a 
tree  in  the  patio.  Armed  with  a stick  and  blindfolded, 
the  children  are  then  led  some  little  distance  away.  What 
they  have  to  do  is  to  grope  their  way  towards  where  they 
think  the  pinate  is  and  strike  out  at  it.  Each  child  is  given 
three  chances.  Sometimes  they  are  blindfolded  a dozen 
times  before  any  one  of  them  manages  to  break  the  pinate 
and  bring  the  sweets  and  toys  tumbling  to  the  ground. 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  ANGELS 


24B 


Thereupon  a great  scramble  for  the  dainties  takes  place. 
The  blindfolded  child  who  has  been  lucky  enough  to  hit 
the  pinate  is  sadly  handicapped  in  the  struggle,  as  all  the 
others  have  been  eagerly  crowding  round  to  swoop  down 
upon  the  contents. 

Pinates  are  a source  of  immense  pleasure  not  only  to  the 
little  folks  but  to  their  elders ; and  the  bigger  children  are 
especially  keen  on  this  Christmas  celebration,  for  during 
the  excitement  which  ensues  when  the  jar  is  broken,  pre- 
cocious lads  and  lassies  find  it  possible  to  squeeze  into  each 
other^s  hands  ill-written  little  love-letters  or  to  whisper 
tender  words. 

Christmas  festivities  in  Mexico  begin  on  the  16th  and 
last  until  the  25th  of  December  and  are  called  posadas,  a 
word  meaning  an  inn  or  abiding  place.  Posadas  are  held 
in  the  towns  and  cities  only ; they  are  participated  in  by 
the  richest  as  well  as  the  poorest  classes,  and  are  known  in 
Mexico  only  of  all  the  countries  of  Spanish- America.  They 
are  a memory  of  the  Gospel  story  of  the  Nativity,  when 
Joseph  and  Mary  journeyed  to  Bethlehem  and  finding  no 
resting-place  in  the  inn  were  obliged  to  shelter  in  a stable; 
At  the  celebration,  everybody  in  the  house,  the  family, 
guests  and  servants  — each  one  being  provided  with  a 
lighted  candle  — walk  together  several  times  round  the 
house,  chanting  a litany.  As  each  prayer  is  finished  they 
sing  the  “Ora  pro  Nobis. The  leader  of  the  procession 
carries  figures  of  Joseph  and  Mary,  formed  of  clay  or  wax, 
and  figures  of  saints  are  sometimes  borne.  A donkey,  too, 
often  forms  part  of  the  procession  to  represent  the  faithful 
creature  in  the  Bible  story.  At  each  door  in  the  house  the 
leader  stops  and  knocks,  craving  admission,  but  no  answer 
is  given. 

When  the  litany  is  finished,  some  of  the  party  go  inside 
a room,  while  the  rest,  with  the  sacred  figures,  stand  out- 


244 


MEXICO 


side  singing  a verse  which  is  a plea  for  admittance.  To 
this  the  churlish  answer  is  given  that  there  is  no  room  for 
the  visitors,  and  that  they  are  regarded  as  vagrants  or 
thieves.  Finally  the  door  is  opened,  and  the  figures  gain 
shelter  for  the  night,  the  closing  scene  of  this  ceremony 
being  the  depositing  of  the  figures  on  a roughly  improvised 
altar  and  a sort  of  mass  being  said  in  front  of  them. 

The  sacred  side  of  the  celebration  over,  tho  family  and 
their  guests  start  feasting  and  merrymaking,  and  this  is 
prolonged  to  a late  hour.  In  wealthy  houses  these  posadas 
are  very  elaborate,  and  at  the  subsequent  feast  beautiful 
presents  are  given  to  each  guest.  At  Christmas  time  all 
the  Mexican  cities  are  ablaze  with  fireworks  and  colored 
lights,  which  are  the  invariable  conclusion  for  the  posadas, 
the  pinates  and  all  the  other  festivities. 

Puebla,  like  Mexico  City,  has  no  night  life,  and  by  nine 
o^clock  most  of  the  streets  are  deserted.  After  dark  the 
city  seems  melancholy  and  depressing,  and  even  during 
the  daytime  it  is  far  from  cheerful,  which  is  probably  due 
to  the  number  of  old  churches  with  their  sombre  influence. 
There  are  a good  many  Americans  in  Puebla,  and  they 
do  something  towards  brightening  up  the  place.  The  city 
has  already  been  invaded  by  the  American  book,  curio  and 
grocery  stores;  the  American  physician  and  dentist  have 
arrived;  and  there  are  numerous  agencies  for  American 
goods.  There  is  also  a comfortable  American  club,  to  which 
most  of  the  English-speaking  residents  belong. 

During  my  stay  at  Puebla  I went  out  one  afternoon 
by  the  mule-car  to  the  town  of  Cholula,  about  eight  miles 
from  the  city.  Cholula  was  an  important  city  in  Aztec 
times  and  was  the  scene  of  a great  battle  between  Cortes 
and  the  treacherous  natives.  Having  been  invited  to  enter 
the  city,  he  discovered  they  were  preparing  to  attack  and 
overwhelm  his  little  force.  Being  in  the  midst  of  a powerful 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  ANGELS 


245 


and  warlike  people,  he  was  compelled  to  attack  with  his 
six  thousand  five  hundred  men  an  army  of  twenty  thou- 
sand Indians.  The  result  of  the  battle  was  the  complete 
rout  of  the  latter,  the  Spanish  cannon  and  cavalry  slaugh- 
tering thousands  of  the  defeated  Cholulans.  After  the 
Conquest,  the  ancient  city  soon  lost  its  importance  and  has 
since  been  reduced  to  a small  village. 

The  ride  from  Puebla  to  Cholula  is  full  of  interest. 
Leaving  the  city,  the  car  wound  its  way  among  the  maguey 
fields,  passed  through  several  haciendas  where  cattle  were 
grazing  among  the  dry  grass  and  crossed  one  or  two  streams 
where  a fair  amount  of  water  was  running.  On  every  side 
was  the  great  plain  stretching  to  the  mountains,  above  which 
towered  the  great  snowy  peaks,  against  a sky  background 
of  the  deepest  blue. 

Cholula,  like  Puebla,  was  once  a place  of  pilgrimage; 
and  on  a high  pyramid  just  outside  the  town  there  stood 
the  great  temple  dedicated  to  the  mystic  deity  Quetzalcoatl. 
It  was  on  this  spot  that  he  was  supposed  to  have  dwelt. 
Cholula  was  also  a city  of  temples ; Cortes  has  recorded  that 
he  counted  four  hundred  towers  in  it,  and  no  temple  had 
more  than  two.  Pilgrims  came  from  all  parts  of  Mexico 
in  pre-Conquest  days  to  worship  in  the  great  temple. 
Whenever  the  people  lacked  water  or  a drought  threatened, 
children,  usually  from  six  to  ten  years  of  age,  were  sacrificed 
with  horrible  rites.  The  city  swarmed  with  beggars,  and 
Cortes,  much  impressed  by  this,  wrote  to  the  king  of  Spain 
that  ^Hhey  were  as  numerous  as  in  the  most  enlightened 
capitals  of  Europe’’ ! Of  the  great  image  of  Quetzal- 
coatl, which  stood  in  the  great  temple,  Prescott  has  given 
the  following  interesting  description  in  his  Conquest  of 
Mexico  ” : “He  had  ebon  features,  unlike  the  fair  complex- 
ion he  bore  upon  earth,  wearing  a mitre  on  his  head  waving 
with  plumes  of  fire,  with  a resplendent  collar  of  gold  around 


246 


MEXICO 


his  neck,  pendants  of  mosaic  turquoise  in  his  ears,  a jew- 
elled sceptre  in  one  hand  and  a shield,  curiously  painted, 
the  emblem  of  his  rule  over  the  winds,  in  the  other 

The  pyramid  now  looks  like  a natural  elevation,  its  sides 
being  overgrown  with  trees  and  bushes;  its  base  covers 
twenty  acres,  and  it  is  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven 
feet  in  height.  Around  it  have  been  occasionally  unearthed 
obsidian  knives  and  arrow-heads.  Excavations  at  various 
points  have  shown  that  it  is  built  of  adobe  bricks,  clay  and 
limestone.  According  to  Indian  legends,  it  was  the  work 
of  giants  who  wished  to  reach  heaven,  but  the  gods,  angered 
at  their  presumption,  killed  them  before  their  work  was 
completed.  In  attempting  to  give  an  idea  of  the  size  of 
this  great  teocalli,  Humboldt  has  compared  it  to  a mass 
of  bricks  covering  a square  four  times  as  large  as  the  Place 
Vendome  and  twice  the  height  of  the  Louvre. 

I climbed  to  the  top  of  the  pyramid  by  a long  flight  of 
rough  stone  steps,  and  reached  the  little  church  of  Nuestra 
Senora  de  los  Remedios,  which  marks  the  site  of  the  Aztec 
temple,  razed  to  the  ground  by  Cortes.  In  the  vestibule 
of  the  church  were  some  modern  paintings,  presented  by 
persons  whose  lives  were  believed  to  have  been  spared 
through  the  miraculous  interposition  of  the  Virgin,  to  whom 
the  church  is  dedicated.  One  painting  represented  a man 
falling  in  front  of  a railway  train  which  was  being  stopped  by 
the  Virgin.  Another  man  was  under  the  wheels  of  a large 
motor-car;  but  the  Virgin’s  hand  was  on  the  chauffeur, 
and  the  car  was  unable  to  proceed.  The  knife  of  an  assassin 
descending  on  the  breast  of  an  unfortunate  peon  was  being 
stayed  by  the  same  guardian  influence.  In  another  of  these 
pictures  a murderous-looking  ruffian  is  portrayed  about 
to  empty  the  contents  of  his  magazine  rifle  into  the  breast 
of  his  victim;  but  the  weapon  is  being  pushed  aside  by 
the  same  holy  hand.  There  were  over  a score  of  these 


A VIEW  OF  PUEBLA. 

lu  the  background  is  the  great  snow-capped  peak  of  Popocatepetl. 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  ANGELS 


24T 


strange  works  of  art,  the  execution  for  the  most  part  being 
of  the  crudest.  I afterwards  saw  similar  pictures  in  other 
Mexican  churches. 

From  the  front  of  the  church  the  view  of  the  valley 
and  surrounding  mountains,  the  many  churches  with  their 
glazed  tile  domes,  and  the  numerous  villages  on  the  plain, 
with  Puebla  in  the  distance,  is  superb.  Old  churches  are 
scattered  all  over  the  plain,  and  it  is  said  that  over  fifty 
of  them  can  be  counted ; most  of  them  are  isolated,  without 
any  dwellings  near  them.  These  churches  were  erected 
in  the  great  building  age  of  the  Spaniards.  Many  of  them 
were  abandoned  after  the  enactment  of  the  reform  laws, 
and  some  large,  imposing  structures,  half  in  ruins,  are  occu- 
pied by  peons  and  their  families.  Why  all  these  churches 
were  built,  nobody  seems  able  to  explain.  In  Cholula 
alone  there  are  about  thirty,  though  it  has  but  five  thousand 
inhabitants. 

The  next  day  I took  the  train  from  Puebla  to  Santa  Ana, 
where  a horse  tram-car  carried  me,  in  forty-five  minutes, 
to  Tlaxcala,  capital  of  the  State  of  that  name,  and  the  site 
of  a great  city  visited  by  Cortes  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Conquest.  The  government  of  the  Tlaxcalans  was  re- 
publican in  form ; they  were  a brave  race,  and  had  reached 
a high  state  of  culture.  As  they  were  at  war  with  the 
Aztecs,  Cortes  gained  them  as  allies,  and  so  was  enabled  to 
conquer  the  latter  and  thereafter  to  subdue  all  the  other 
Indian  races. 

According  to  some  Spanish  historians,  Tlaxcala  at  the 
time  of  the  Conquest  had  about  three  hundred  thousand  in- 
habitants; but  this  is  probably  an  exaggeration.  Cortes 
expressed  amazement  at  the  civilization  of  the  Tlaxcalan 
capital,  its  shops,  market-places,  public  baths,  barbers 
and  police.  To-day,  Tlaxcala  is  a small  town  with  a 
population  of  barely  four  thousand. 


248 


MEXICO 


In  the  town  many  relics  of  the  past  are  still  to  be  seen. 
The  Council  Room  of  the  Municipal  Palace  contains  some 
fine  old  paintings,  including  portraits  of  the  Tlaxcalan 
chiefs  who  allied  themselves  with  Cortes  and  who  were 
baptized  in  1520.  In  a glass  case  is  a flag  said  to  have  been 
presented  to  the  chiefs  by  the  Conqueror.  There  are  also 
robes  of  silk  worn  by  the  chiefs  at  their  baptism  and  the 
embroidered  vestments  of  the  priests  who  performed  the 
ceremony.  So  remarkably  fresh  is  the  state  of  these  relics 
that  it  is  difficult  to  believe  they  are  almost  four  hundred 
years  old.  The  church  of  San  Francisco  in  Tlaxcala  is 
the  oldest  in  America,  its  foundations  having  been  laid  in 
1521.  It  still  possesses  the  font  in  which  the  chiefs  were 
baptized,  and  also  has  a pulpit  from  which  the  Christian 
gospel  was  preached  for  the  first  time  on  the  American  con- 
tinent. 


CHAPTER  XV 


A MEXICAN  CARLSBAD 

When  a European  is  suffering  from  liver or  kindred 
ailments,  he  betakes  himself,  if  he  has  the  means,  to  Carls- 
bad or  some  other  popular  and  expensive  health  resort. 
The  Mexican  also  has  his  little  maladies,  and  likewise  a cure 
to  which  he  hies,  and  it  is  known  as  Tehuacan. 

I first  heard  of  the  fame  of  Tehuacan  from  a man  from 
Minnesota  with  whom  I struck  up  an  acquaintance  in  Pue- 
bla. He  was  in  search  of  some  place  in  which  to  recuperate, 
and  had  come  across  an  attractively  illustrated  pamphlet 
distributed  by  the  railway  company,  which  described 
Tehuacan  as  the  Mexican  Carlsbad.  According  to  this 
booklet,  if  all  the  virtues  of  European  spas  could  be  com- 
bined in  one,  they  would  faintly  approach  the  efficacy  of 
Tehuacan  water.  For  Tehuacan  also  had  its  spa,  in  the 
shape  of  two  or  three  mineral  springs,  the  waters  of  which 
were  said  to  be  certain  specifics  for  almost  every  human  ill. 
Under  their  influence  diseases  of  the  kidneys,  calculus  and 
other  ailments,  more  or  less  serious,  disappeared  as  if  by 
magic. 

My  Minnesotan  acquaintance  also  produced  an  article 
he  had  cut  from  a Western  newspaper,  written  by  some 
delighted  visitor  to  Tehuacan.  This  writer  had  much  to 
say  about  the  beauties  of  the  place,  the  fashionable  folk 
who  resorted  there,  and  he  waxed  eloquent  in  praise  of  the 
local  hotel.  ^Mt  is  not  a hotel, said  he,  enthusiastically, 
“ but  a grand  old  country  house,  where  the  proprietor  will 
receive  you  with  true  Mexican  hospitality ; it  is  not  an  inn 

249 


250 


MEXICO 


but  a home/^  '^That  suits  me  to  the  limit/^  remarked 
the  Minnesotan;  I^moff  to  Tehuacan,  and  if  the  place  only 
comes  up  to  that  recommendation,  it  will  be  different  from 
any  Mexican  country  hotel  that  I ever  struck;  for  I’ll 
defy  any  man  to  get  a square  meal  and  ordinary  comforts 
in  any  of  them.” 

I had,  at  that  time,  decided  to  continue  my  travels  as 
far  as  Oaxaca,  the  most  important  city  in  southern  Mexico, 
and  to  see  something  of  the  gold  and  silver  mines  in  that 
part  of  the  country.  Oaxaca  (pronounced  wah-hack-ah) 
is  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  miles  from  Puebla,  and 
as  it  is  a dusty,  tiring  trip  in  the  winter  months,  my  Amer- 
ican acquaintance  persuaded  me  to  break  the  journey  at 
Tehuacan,  which  is  about  eighty  miles  on  the  way.  I was 
not  sorry  to  do  this,  as  I had  great  curiosity  to  see  a Mexican 
Carlsbad. 

We  left  Puebla  for  Tehuacan  the  following  afternoon, 
making  our  journey  of  four  hours  in  a crude,  dus'ty  car, 
stifling  hot  and  crowded  with  Mexicans.  But  the  scenery 
along  the  way  amply  compensated  for  any  discomforts  of 
travel.  From  the  city  the  railway  crosses  the  plain,  winds 
among  the  hills  and  mountains  and  gradually  descends  to 
Tehuacan  through  a succession  of  rich  valleys,  dropping 
from  an  altitude  of  7091  feet  to  5408,  this  change  of  altitude 
being  marked  by  a corresponding  increase  in  temperature. 

Shortly  before  our  journey  ended,  the  train  was  boarded 
at  a wayside  station  by  a Mexican  serving  man  or  mozo, 
resplendent  in  a sort  of  German  infantryman’s  uniform. 
This  gorgeous  being  represented  the  hotel  at  the  springs. 
He  condescended  to  distribute  among  us  humble  passengers 
illustrated  pamphlets  describing  the  establishment  in  the 
following  eloquent  language . — 

“The  table  service  is  unexcelled,  even  in  the  most  ex- 
pensive hotels  in  the  capital  of  the  Republic.  The  dining 


A MEXICAN  CABLSBAD 


251 


hall  is  probably  the  largest  in  the  country,  and  is  particu- 
larly noticeable  for  the  elegance  of  its  furnishings  and 
the  scrupulous  neatness  of  all  its  appointments.  Travellers 
who  have  stayed  at  the  most  famous  hostelries  of  foreign 
capitals  are  loud  in  their  praises  of  the  tempting,  wholesome, 
daintily  prepared  meals  served  by  the  artistic  chef  and  his 
able  staff  of  assistants.^ ^ 

The  pamphlet  went  on  to  point  out  that  you  could  not  be 
unhappy  or  bored  at  Tehuacan.  There  was  tennis,  golf, 
hunting,  and  riding  in  plenty  for  visitors,  the  recreations 
even  including  a bowling-alley  and  a church.  My  com- 
panion, with  a look  of  great  joy  exclaimed,  ^^We  seem  to 
be  in  luck.  This  place  is  evidently  a sort  of  Mexican 
paradise. 

When  we  arrived  at  Tehuacan,  we  got  on  a little  street- 
car standing  outside  the  station,  drawn  by  two  mules, 
which  took  us  and  our  baggage  to  the  hotel,  some  two  miles 
distant.  We  travelled  at  a good  pace  through  the  dark 
country  roads,  and  at  our  journey’s  end  found  ourselves 
outside  a picturesque,  long  rambling  stone  building  bearing 
very  little  resemblance  to  a hotel.  In  fact,  it  was  what 
in  Mexico  is  called  an  old  hacienda  building,  a sort  of 
large  country  house  and  farmhouse  combined,  in  which 
the  proprietors  of  haciendas  or  estates  make  their  homes. 
Passing  through  the  main  doorway,  we  entered  a large,  old- 
fashioned,  cloistered  patio,  filled  with  flowers,  orange  trees 
and  tall  banana  plants ; in  the  middle  was  a fountain  play- 
ing from  a wide,  moss-covered  basin.  Adjoining  the  hotel 
was  a long  shady  avenue  of  orange  trees  and  palms.  In 
Puebla  or  Mexico  City  the  open  patio  would  have  been 
uncomfortably  cool,  but  in  Tehuacan,  at  a much  lower 
altitude,  the  night  air  was  deliciously  balmy ; the  sky  was^ 
perfectly  clear,  the  stars  wonderfully  brilliant;  and  there 
was  not  the  faintest  suspicion  of  a ‘^norther.” 


252 


MEXICO 


No  one  came  forward  to  receive  us  or  show  us  our  rooms ; 
but  at  last  we  met  a drowsy-looking  mozo  who  spoke  no 
English.  When  we  asked  him  about  rooms,  he  shook  his 
head  in  a bewildered  manner  — probably  the  effect  of  our 
bad  Spanish  — and  walked  away.  My  companion  said, 
‘‘We  must  evidently  help  ourselves so  we  opened  door 
after  door  until,  finding  two  that  seemed  to  be  unoccupied, 
we  took  possession  of  them.  We  then  wandered  about  in 
quest  of  the  proprietor  or  his  representative,  whom  we  had 
expected  to  receive  us  with  “true  Mexican  hospitality.^’ 

A jolly  looking,  bearded  Spaniard  was  sitting  outside 
the  house,  puffing  a big  cigar,  talking  to  the  mozo  we  had 
encountered,  and  apparently  very  much  amused  about 
something,  possibly  our  arrival.  As  the  mozo  strolled  by, 
my  companion  asked  him  who  the  Spaniard  was.  “Este  el 
patron,  senor”  (He  is  the  proprietor),  replied  the  man. 
Alas  for  Mexican  hospitality  ! 

The  hotel  was  crude  in  the  extreme.  The  bedrooms,  it 
is  true,  were  comfortably  furnished  and  scrupulously  clean ; 
but  the  dining-room  was  certainly  not  what  you  would 
expect  at  a Carlsbad.  It  was  a long  room,  paved  with  stone 
flagging  and  furnished  with  an  array  of  small  deal  tables; 
at  the  end  of  it  there  was  a bar  where  guests  could  take  a 
drink  between  the  courses.  The  waiters  were  unkempt 
Mexican  mozos  with  their  coats  off  and  clad  in  dirty  vests. 
The  cutlery  and  linen  were  of  the  coarsest  description, 
and  as  for  the  food,  only  a robust  constitution  and  a good 
appetite  engendered  by  the  healthy  climate  of  Tehuacan 
could  have  made  it  endurable.  No  invalid  could  have 
eaten  it  and  lived. 

The  proprietor  was,  I discovered,  one  of  the  largest  land- 
owners  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tehuacan,  having  an  estate 
of  many  thousands  of  acres.  People  told  me  that  he  con- 
ducted the  hotel  simply  to  oblige  the  public  and  as  a recrea- 


A MEJriCAN  OABLSBAI) 


253 


tion  for  himself.  I suppose  he  had  done  this  on  the  prin- 
ciple that  ^^what  is  death  to  you  is  fun  to  me.^^ 

My  illusions  about  the  dining-room  had  been  shattered, 
but  worse  was  to  follow.  I ordered  a horse  the  next  day 
that  I might  enjoy  the  wonderful  riding  the  neighborhood 
was  said  to  afford.  The  horse  produced  looked  as  if  it  had 
come  over  with  Cortes  and  taken  part  in  the  famous  march 
on  Tenochtitlan.  He  was  far  too  old  to  be  interested  in 
me  or  my  plans.  He  stood  motionless  while  I mounted. 
But  then  the  worm  turned.  I was  the  last  straw  that  broke 
the  faithful  steed’s  back.  He  did  not  kick,  he  did  not 
plunge ; for  he  could  not  have  done  either  if  he  had  tried  — 
he  simply  foundered,  sank  to  the  earth  and  stretched  his 
weary,  ancient  limbs  upon  it.  He  was  lifted  to  his  feet  and 
two  mozos  pushed  him  back  into  his  stable.  My  American 
friend,  as  eager  for  shooting  as  I was  for  riding,  started  out 
with  a gun,  but  after  tramping  about  the  country  for  half 
a day,  came  back  with  one  small  quail  as  a trophy  of  the 
chase. 

The  morning  after  my  arrival  I was  standing  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  hotel  when  I was  startled  by  a voice  which 
said  in  a strong  Western  accent : Good  morning,  neighbor ; 

I suppose  you  ain’t  got  such  a thing  as  a kidney  about  you  ? ” 
Turning,  I found  myself  confronted  by  a wiry,  wizened 
Westerner,  with  a face  like  a dried  apple.  There  was  a 
look  of  inquiry  and  a knowing  twinkle  in  his  eye.  In 
answer  to  his  question,  I hinted  that  my  anatomy  did 
include  a kidney  or  two,  and  that  I was  occasionally  re- 
minded of  it  when  I had  dined  unwisely.  ^^Wal,  then,” 
continued  my  Western  friend,  ‘^you  ain’t  got  no  business 
with  that  kidney  when  there’s  Tehuacan  water  near  by.” 

He  then  proceeded  to  relate  how  he  had  suffered  mortal 
agonies  for  I don’t  know  how  many  years  from  acute  kidney 
disease.  took  that  durned  kidney  on  trips  all  over 


254 


MEXICO 


creation,  he  said,  speaking  of  the  offending  organ  as  if  it 
had  been  some  evil  sprite  with  whom  he  had  been  doomed 
to  keep  company.  “I  took  him  to  San  Antonio,  Texas  — 
my  native  state  — and  dosed  him  with  sulphur  water, 
but.  Lord,  it  wasn’t  no  good.  He  kept  the  upper  hand. 
Then  I took  him  off  to  Topo  Chico  Springs  near  Monterey, 
and  poured  down  buckets  of  water,  but  he  only  laughed  at 
it.  I tried  a score  of  other  places  that  the  doctors  sent  me 
to,  but  none  of  them  wasn’t  any  good,  and  he  just  thrived 
on  the  water.  Well,  sir,  finally  I was  advised  to  try 
Tehuacan,  and  I came  down  here  with  very  little  faith  in  it. 
Wal,  I wasn’t  here  twenty-four  hours  before  that  durned 
cuss  realized  that  his  time  had  come.  I had  him  where 
the  wool  was  short.  He  squirmed  and  kicked  and  didn’t 
exactly  like  the  water,  but  I fixed  him  with  it  and,  by  Gum, 
he’s  kept  quiet  ever  since.” 

^^But,”  said  I,  “when  you  leave  Tehuacan,  how  do  you 
manage;  doesn’t  he  break  loose  again?”  “No,  siree,” 
replied  the  gentleman  from  Texas;  “Tehuacan  water  is 
bottled  and  sent  all  over  Mexico,  and  I drink  nothing  else.” 
Here  he  looked  around  with  a mysterious  air  as  if  afraid 
that  he  might  be  overheard.  “There’s  only  one  gen-ew-ine 
Tehuacan  water,”  he  said,  “and  the  stuff  they  give  you  here 
ain’t  fit  to  dose  a dog  with.”  “It  comes  from  the  spring, 
doesn’t  it?”  I asked.  “Yes,  it  does  come  from  a spring,” 
he  answered,  “ but  not  from  the  spring,  the  gen-ew-ine  one, 
and  that’s  why  I’m  just  a-going  to  walk  two  miles  to  the 
right  place  to  fill  my  little  jug.”  Here  he  tapped  affec- 
tionately a wicker-covered  demijohn  which  he  carried.  “ If 
you  like,”  he  added,  “I’ll  pilot  you  to  the  place.”  I ac- 
cepted the  invitation,  and  along  the  dusty  road,  under  the 
blazing  sun,  off  we  trudged  to  the  spring. 

On  our  way  my  companion  informed  me  that  there  were 
three  springs.  The  original  spring,  he  said,  had  belonged 


A MEXICAN  CARLSBAD 


255 


to  the  hacienda,  but  the  proprietor  had  sold  it  to  a company 
called  La  Cruz  Roja  or  Red  Cross  Company,  which  bottled 
the  water,  the  trade-mark  being  a red  cross.  In  the  mean- 
time he  had  dug  a well  which  supplied  Tehuacan  water, 
it  is  true,  but  this  my  companion  insisted  did  not  have  the 
curative  properties  of  the  original  spring.  Then  a second 
well  was  dug  in  the  neighborhood  by  another  company, 
which  also  bottled  water,  and  this,  too,  my  Western  friend 
insisted  was  less  efficacious.  For  that  reason  he  walked 
every  day  to  the  Red  Cross  Spring  to  fill  his  demijohn. 

The  country  about  Tehuacan  abounds  in  high,  rolling 
hills  of  grayish  limestone  rock,  covered  with  scrubby  trees 
and  cactus  of  every  description.  On  the  way  my  guide 
pointed  out  numerous  holes  in  the  hillside  where  attempts 
had  been  made  to  find  water.  As  we  crossed  some  fields, 
he  called  my  attention  to  the  remains  of  some  Aztec  irri- 
gation works,  little  aqueducts  of  crumbling  stone,  extending 
for  long  distances,  which  had  been  supplanted  by  the  much 
cruder  work  of  the  Spaniards.  A great  deal  of  irrigation  is 
still  done  about  Tehuacan,  a plentiful  supply  of  water  be- 
ing obtainable  when  wells  are  sunk.  The  gray  soil  in  this 
district  is  wonderfully  fertile,  and  there  were  many  green 
fields  of  sugar-cane  and  maize. 

When  we  reached  the  bottling  works,  we  went  to  the 
ancient  spring  to  which  the  Aztecs  once  resorted  as  a cure 
for  their  ailments.  It  has  been  enclosed  with  stonework 
in  the  form  of  a well,  and  adjoining  it  are  the  bottling  and 
carbonating  rooms.  When  we  had  quenched  our  thirst 
with  copious  draughts  of  the  water,  which  had  only  a slight 
mineral  flavor  and  is  quite  pleasant  to  the  taste,  my  com- 
panion filled  his  jug.  The  manager  of  the  bottling  works 
showed  us  some  grayish  powder  which  remains  when  the 
water  is  evaporated.  A geologist  who  knows  the  district 
well  afterwards  told  me  that  all  the  water  comes  from  an 


256 


MEXICO 


underground  stream,  and  there  is  no  difference  between  one 
well  and  another,  despite  my  Texan  friend’s  assertion  to 
the  contrary. 

As  we  returned  to  the  hotel,  my  companion  confided  to 
me  that  his  business  was  selling  kitchen  appliances,  stoves 
and  so  on,  to  hotels.  He  knew  all  the  dark  secrets  of  the 
hotel  kitchens  in  Mexico,  and  gave  me  the  benefit  of  his  long 
experience.  He  warned  me  against  certain  establishments 
in  the  capital.  Don’t  go  to  Blank’s,”  he  said,  ^Tf  you  want 
good  vittles.  That  there  place  is  inch  deep  in  grease,  and 
they  have  the  dirtiest  mozos  in  the  city.”  ^‘How  about 
Dash’s?”  I asked,  referring  to  a well-known  establishment. 

Clean  outside,  dirty  in  the  back,”  he  replied  sententiously, 
with  a deprecating  shake  of  his  head.  They  use  canned 
goods,  too,  and  buy  the  cheapest  stuff  in  the  market.” 
After  listening  to  some  of  his  horrible  recitals,  I was  more 
than  ever  impressed  with  the  truth  of  the  familiar  saying 
that  ignorance  is  sometimes  bliss. 

During  my  stay  at  Tehuacan  I took  a walk  over  the 
hills  near  the  hotel,  which  were  thickly  covered  with  cactus 
of  every  shape  and  size.  One  was  a straight  specimen, 
as  tall  as  a lamp-post,  covered  with  ugly  prickles.  There 
were  round  cacti  looking  like  colossal  hedgehogs.  Others 
resembled  the  huge,  straight-leaved  aloe,  but  were  armed 
with  formidable  spikes.  Then  there  was  another  with  a 
gnarled  trunk,  like  that  of  a small  oak  tree,  with  great  ex- 
tending branches  arranged  like  the  pipes  of  an  organ  and 
called  the  organ  cactus.  There  was  also  a species  which 
had  great  flat  leaves,  and  when  these  were  shaken  there 
seemed  to  be  quantities  of  liquid  swishing  about  inside  them. 
Some  of  the  cacti  bore  a sort  of  prickly  pear  fruit;  some 
had  white  and  others  flaming  red  blossoms.  These  cactus- 
covered  hills  would  have  delighted  the  heart  of  a botanist. 
Sickly,  diminutive  specimens  of  these  plants  are  sometimes 


k 


THE  PLAZA,  OAXACA. 

A scene  characteristic  of  life  in  the  average  Mexican  town. 


A MEXICAN  CARLSBAD 


257 


seen  in  northern  hothouses  bearing  long  Latin  names  and 
labelled  Native  of  Mexico.’^  Here  they  were  growing  on 
their  native  heath  in  magnificent  perfection. 

The  town  of  Tehuacan  is  more  than  ordinarily  attractive, 
with  its  pretty  plazas  and  its  wide  streets  which  have  rows 
of  trees  in  the  centre  of  them.  Outside  some  of  the  old- 
fashioned  Spanish  mansions  are  curiously  curled  iron 
brackets  for  holding  the  street-lamps.  Tehuacan  was  an 
Indian  town  long  before  the  Conquest.  The  present  town, 
which  has  a population  of  ten  thousand,  was  founded  by 
the  Spaniards  in  1524.  Its  business  is  still  largely  in  the 
hands  of  Spaniards,  some  of  whom  are  direct  descendants  of 
the  families  that  came  over  from  Spain  four  hundred  years 
ago.  It  is  a quiet,  sleepy  place,  and  was  rarely  heard  of  until 
the  advent  of  the  railway  transformed  it  into  a health 
resort. 

With  a really  good,  up-to-date  hotel,  Tehuacan,  with 
its  mineral  springs,  its  fine  climate  and  its  beautiful  scenery, 
would  become  a resort  well  worth  visiting,  and  one  where 
many  classes  of  visitors  could  regain  health  and  strength. 
Under  present  conditions,  however,  there  are  too  many 
hardships  to  be  endured  to  make  it  attractive  to  people 
accustomed  to  comfortable  living.  Mexicans  do  not  seem 
to  mind  discomforts  so  much  as  Europeans  and  Americans 
do ; and  they  patronize  the  place  all  the  year  round,  some 
of  them  coming  from  long  distances.  From  Tehuacan  there 
was  until  recently  a horse  tramway  line  of  thirty  miles  to 
Esperanza  on  the  Mexican  Railway  (the  line  from  Vera 
Cruz  to  Mexico  City).  This  has  just  been  converted  into 
a steam  railway. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


THE  VALLEY  OF  OAXACA 

In  the  matter  of  scenic  attractions  there  are  few  rail- 
ways in  the  world  which  can  equal  that  from  Tehuacan  to 
Oaxaca.  As  a feat  of  engineering  the  line  is  also  wonderful ; 
for  in  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  between  the  two 
places  it  ascends  and  descends  thousands  of  feet,  passing 
through  deep  valleys,  threading  narrow  gorges,  winding 
upwards  among  the  mountain  heights,  and  taking  the  travel- 
ler through  the  heart  of  the  hot  lands  and  the  sub-tropics. 
It  is  true  that  it  takes  fully  eight  hours  to  make  this  journey, 
and  the  dust,  in  the  dry  season,  is  appalling;  but  there  is 
so  much  to  interest  one  on  the  way  that  the  dust  is  forgotten 
and  the  hours  slip  by  unnoticed. 

On  this  fascinating  trip  I started  early  one  morning  when 
the  gray  hills  of  Tehuacan  were  gleaming  in  the  brilliant 
sunshine  beneath  the  wonderful  blue  Mexican  sky.  It  was 
a fair  specimen  of  the  delightful  weather  I had  enjoyed 
during  my  stay  at  the  springs,  and  it  made  the  northers’^ 
of  my  first  Mexican  experiences  seem  like  some  fantastic 
dream. 

My  Texas  friend  — he  of  the  kidney  — came  down  to  the 
station  to  see  me  depart,  and  he  had  a parting  word  of 
advice  to  give  me.  As  the  train  was  moving  off,  he  re- 
marked solemnly:  ^^Keep  yourself  filled  with  Tehuacan 
water,  and  you’ll  fool  all  the  doctors  and  undertakers.” 
With  this  lugubrious  farewell  I started  for  Oaxaca. 

The  first,  second,  and  third  class  cars  of  the  train  were 

258 


THE  VALLEY  OF  OAXACA 


259 


all  well  filled  with  passengers,  the  latter  being  literally 
packed  with  peons,  chatting,  drinking,  smoking  and  enjoy- 
ing themselves  as  they  always  seem  to  do  on  their  aimless 
wanderings.  In  the  car  in  which  I travelled  there  were 
three  American  passengers ; the  others  were  all  Mexicans. 
The  railway  men  — the  conductor,  engineer  and  brake- 
men  — were  also  Mexican  and  spoke  no  English.  This 
is  not  customary  in  Mexico,  for  many  of  the  lines,  particu- 
larly those  built  with  American  capital,  employ  English- 
speaking  conductors  at  least. 

The  weather  was  warm  in  Tehuacan,  but  in  a few  hours 
it  was  still  warmer,  for  the  train  made  a steady  descent  into 
the  hot  country.  Passing  through  a wide  valley,  it  skirted 
a range  of  towering  limestone  hills  which  at  times  reach 
the  height  of  mountains ; it  ran  through  immense  fields  of 
sugar-cane  of  vivid  green ; and  at  last  clumps  of  date-palms 
could  be  seen,  a usual  indication  of  a warm  climate  and 
lower  altitude.  At  Tecomovaca  the  line  enters  a great 
amphitheatre  of  lofty  mountains,  far  up  on  the  sides  of 
which  nestle  clusters  of  adobe  huts,  marking  the  spots  where 
Indian  villages  have  been  built  almost  at  the  level  of  the 
clouds.  Rocks  of  varied  tints  that  have  been  worn  into 
all  sorts  of  strange  shapes  by  the  action  of  water  attract 
the  eye,  while  the  views  on  every  side  are  wild  and  grand, 
greatly  resembling  those  in  some  of  the  most  picturesque 
parts  of  Colorado. 

Through  a deep  canon,  bordered  by  a rushing,  roaring, 
foam-covered  river  the  train  ran  onward,  skirting  moun- 
tains which  towered  thousands  of  feet  skyward,  with  peaks 
and  crags  of  fantastic  shape.  Through  canon  after  canon, 
and  through  more  rocky  valleys,  and  the  line  at  last  reached 
its  lowest  altitude  of  1767  feet  and  the  little  wayside  sta- 
tion of  Tomellin,  a veritable  oasis  in  the  rocky  desert,  where 
our  train  stopped  for  luncheon.  This  place  is  in  the  true 


260 


MEXICO 


hot  country,  which  well  maintained  its  reputation,  for 
the  heat  was  sweltering.  The  scene,  however,  was  charm- 
ing, the  station  being  set  in  the  midst  of  tropical  trees 
covered  with  strange  fruits,  and  in  the  branches  of  which 
chattered  bright-plumaged  birds.  But  more  inviting 
even  than  these  to  the  dusty,  weary  travellers  was  the  rail- 
way restaurant  where  luncheon  was  served,  its  thick  stone 
walls  and  tiled  floor  furnishing  a welcome  retreat  from 
the  roasting  atmosphere  outside.  Bustling  about,  superin- 
tending the  waiters  and  exchanging  greetings  in  Spanish 
and  English  with  his  guests,  was  the  manager  of  the  es- 
tablishment, ^^Dick,  the  Chinaman,’^  quite  a well-known 
character.  He  furnishes  hungry  travellers  with  excellent 
meals  which  are  long  and  gratefully  remembered. 

After  leaving  Tomellin,  the  train  began  to  ascend,  wind- 
ing round  curve  after  curve,  between  mountains  of  im- 
pressive height  and  grandeur  until  it  reached  the  summit 
at  Las  Sedas  (6304  feet).  Here  a fine  panorama  unfolds, 
the  mountain  ranges  rising  one  above  the  other  and  fading 
in  the  distance,  the  setting  sun  tingeing  each  with  a differ- 
ent hue.  Later  on,  the  country  assumed  a more  cultivated 
appearance,  a few  green,  irrigated  fields  were  occasionally 
to  be  seen,  while  here  and  there  were  masses  of  magenta 
bougainvillea  and  varied  tints  of  crimson  and  pink  flowers. 
In  this  part  of  the  country  there  are  many  haciendas,  with 
their  great  houses,  granaries,  churches  and  hosts  of  peons, 
reminding  one  of  the  baronial  domains  of  feudal  times. 

A Mexican  who  had  been  travelling  in  our  train  — a very 
unimposing  person  — got  off  at  a small  station  where  there 
was  waiting  a sort  of  old-fashioned,  lumbering  stage-coach 
drawn  by  six  mules,  and  about  a dozen  horsemen  in  the 
Mexican  national  costume,  — tight  trousers,  bolero  coats 
and  sombreros,  — each  with  a rifle  strapped  to  his  back. 
This  Mexican,  it  transpired,  was  the  owner  of  a large  haci- 


THE  VALLEY  OF  OAXACA 


261 


6 

enda  in  the  neighborhood,  and  these  were  his  retainers 
who  had  come  to  escort  him  home.  After  an  exchange  of 
salutations,  the  magnate  entered  the  coach,  the  cavalcade 
fell  in  at  the  rear  and  off  they  galloped  amidst  a cloud  of 
dust. 

Towards  evening  the  journey  drew  to  a close,  and  I wit- 
nessed another  of  those  strange  contrasts  which  are  so 
characteristic  of  Mexican  travel.  One  moment  we  were 
passing  through  what  seemed  to  be  a wild  country  without 
a habitation  in  sight;  then  suddenly  electric  lights  shone 
out  along  the  roads  and  a city  appeared.  It  was  half-past 
six,  and  we  had  reached  Oaxaca. 

The  journey  had  been  very  trying,  for  the  heat  had  been 
almost  unbearable  until  the  sun  went  down,  and  the  dust 
came  through  the  windows  in  perfect  clouds.  These  dis- 
comforts are,  of  course,  experienced  to  a much  less  extent 
by  those  fortunate  tourists  who  can  charter  a special  train 
composed  of  Pullman  cars.  Travelling  in  this  way,  they 
can  escape  a good  deal  of  the  dust,  have  iced  drinks  to  cool 
their  parched  throats,  and  cover  the  distance  far  more 
quickly  than  in  the  ordinary  train.  Many  of  the  large 
excursion  parties  that  come  down  from  the  United  States 
during  the  winter  months  travel  in  this,  the  proper,  way  to 
^^do’^  Mexico.  Rather  a strong  constitution  is  required  to 
enjoy  such  a trip  as  that  from  Puebla  to  Oaxaca  in  an 
ordinary  train.  At  the  same  time  one  must  needs  feel 
grateful  to  the  railway  company,  when  comparing  the 
present  with  the  past;  for  it  is  not  so  many  years  ago 
that  people  who  travelled  to  Oaxaca  were  obliged  to  make 
the  journey  in  jolting  stage-coaches  over  terrible  roads. 
Nor  is  the  railway  company  responsible  for  the  discomforts 
of  travel,  which  are  mostly  due  to  climatic  conditions. 

It  is  of  interest  to  add  that  the  Mexican  Southern  Rail- 
way, which  connects  Puebla  with  Oaxaca,  is  owned  by  an 


262 


MEXICO 


English  company  and  was  opened  in  1893.  The  company 
received  a bonus  of  ten  million  dollars  from  the  Mexican 
government,  and  if  it  had  not  received  this  subsidy  it  is 
certain  that  the  line  could  not  have  paid  its  way.  There 
are  so  few  places  of  any  importance  between  the  two  ter- 
minal points  that  the  receipts  must  be  very  small.  But  it 
has  opened  up  a rich  agricultural  and  mineral  district  in 
the  Valley  of  Oaxaca,  and  it  will  probably  develop  into  a 
profitable  property  in  the  future. 

A mule-car  takes  passengers  from  the  railway  station 
in  the  outskirts  of  Oaxaca  to  the  centre  of  the  city  in  ten 
minutes.  I got  into  one  of  the  cars  and  made  the  trip 
through  the  narrow  streets.  The  houses  along  the  way  were 
much  lower  than  those  at  Puebla,  being  mostly  of  one 
story;  they  were  of  the  same  flat-roofed  style,  but  every- 
thing seemed  to  be  on  a much  more  primitive  scale.  As 
in  Puebla  also  the  streets  had  a wide  central  gutter  and  were 
paved  with  cobble-stones.  On  the  way  the  car  passed  a 
little  market-place  where  Indians  squatted  beside  their 
wares,  their  pitches”  lighted  with  flickering  oil  lamps. 
It  was  Christmas  week,  and  large  numbers  of  these  dark- 
skinned,  blanketed  folk  had  come  in  from  the  country  to 
do  their  shopping.  There  were  many  of  them  in  the  streets 
walking,  sitting  along  the  curb,  hanging  about  the  street 
corners  and  passing  in  and  out  of  the  drinking  places. 

The  car  stopped  at  a large  plaza  in  which  stands  the 
cathedral  and  several  public  buildings;  and  not  far  distant 
was  a hotel  where  I found  quarters.  It  was  the  usual 
Spanish  mansion,  partly  rebuilt  and  changed  into  a hotel, 
rather  crudely  furnished  and  conducted  in  a slightly  wild- 
western  fashion.  Several  mining  men — Western  Amer- 
icans — were  staying  here,  some  alone  and  some  with  their 
families.  Among  these  Americans  was  one  of  a type  rather 
too  common  in  Mexico.  He  spent  his  time  loafing  about 


THE  VALLEY  OF  OAXACA 


263 


the  place  discussing  schemes”  and  mines  with  anybody 
who  would  talk  with  him,  posing  as  a mining  expert.  By 

some  of  his  friends  he  was  called  Professor His 

wife  — such  is  the  faith  of  womankind  — seemed  to  regard 
him  as  a great  genius.  Some  time  afterwards,  while  talking 
with  a mine-owner  of  the  district,  an  American,  I happened 
to  mention  the  professor  as  a mining  authority.  The 
mining  man  shook  his  head  dubiously.  ^‘1  never  heard  of 
the  professor,”  he  said.  When  I told  him  that  I referred 
to  the  man  at  the  hotel,  and  mentioned  his  name,  he  ex- 
claimed, “Well,  well,  calls  himself  a mining  expert,  does  he  ? 
Why,  he  used  to  be  my  carpenter,  and  a d — d bad  carpen- 
ter too.” 

I took  my  evening  meal  in  the  hotel  dining-room,  a rather 
unattractive  apartment  paved  with  tiles  and  furnished 
with  the  usual  small  tables  and  hard  wooden  chairs.  Two 
Indian  criadors  (waitresses)  who  served  the  guests  were 
swarthy  and  black-eyed,  had  long  plaits  of  hair  hanging 
down  their  backs  and  wore  the  popular  speckled-blue  dress 
and  rebosa.  They  were  picturesque  but  unkempt.  An 
American  mining  man  sat  at  my  table  and  I chatted  with 
him.  One  of  the  waitresses  sauntered  up  and  some  pleas- 
antries in  Spanish  passed  between  them.  The  bold  criador 
playfully  tapped  him  on  the  head  wdth  a plate,  he  made 
a movement  as  if  to  snatch  it,  and  she  went  off  giggling. 
“You  have  to  jolly  ^em  along  to  get  good  vittles  in  this 
place,”  he  said  to  me,  half  apologetically,  seeing  that  I was 
shocked  at  such  goings-on.  A Chinaman,  who  acted  as 
both  cook  and  waiter,  took  a hand  at  waiting  occasionally, 
cracking  jokes  with  the  criadors  in  Spanish  with  a Chinese 
accent.  It  was  all  very  amusing. 

After  my  frugal  meal  I went  out  for  a stroll  about  the 
town;  the  evening  was  fine  and  balmy,  much  milder,  in 
fact,  than  our  average  May  evening  in  the  Eastern  States. 


264 


MEXICO 


There  was  a full  moon  and  the  stars  were  sparkling  in  the 
clear  tropical  sky. 

Oaxaca  stands  5067  feet  above  sea-level,  and  at  this 
height  in  Mexico  one  always  get  a mild,  healthful  temper- 
ature. 

The  old  triple-towered  cathedral,  founded  in  1563,  is  an 
ancient,  imposing  and  picturesque  pile.  It  stands  on  one 
side  of  a large  stone-paved  plaza,  on  the  other  side  of  which 
is  a row  of  shops  or  stores,  rather  gloomy  and  cavernous, 
such  as  are  seen  in  old  Spanish  towns.  On  another  side 
is  the  Municipal  Palace,  and  further  on  the  Post-office  and 
Courts  of  Justice,  all  fine  buildings  of  white  stone  with  the 
usual  patios.  Adjoining  the  cathedral  square  is  the  Plaza 
Mayor,  centred  by  the  usual  band-stand  and  planted 
with  fine  old  shady  trees  and  bright-hued  flowers,  such  as 
hibiscus  and  poinsettia,  all  in  full  bloom.  There  were  also 
several  orange  trees  bearing  their  golden  fruit. 

The  seats  in  the  plaza  were  filled  with  Mexicans  of  all 
shades,  and  there  were  also  a good  many  Americans  — 
Western  mining  men,  from  their  appearance.  As  I strolled 
past  them  I occasionally  heard  such  remarks  as,  Richest 

ore  in  the  whole country.’^  Millions  in  sight,’’  ^^The 

biggest  bonanza  ever  struck,”  and  so  on.  There,  too, 
was  my  old  friend  the  ^^man  with  the  scheme,”  showing 
his  companions  a chunk  of  ore  supposed  to  represent 
fabulous  wealth. 

On  one  side  of  the  plaza,  beneath  the  portales  or  arcades, 
were  several  drinking  saloons.  Outside  some  of  them  were 
small  tables  at  which  more  Americans  were  seated,  imbibing 
the  national  rye  whiskey,  and  discussing  American  politics 
in  loud  tones.  Blanketed  Indians  lounged  against  the  stone 
columns,  regarding  the  Americans  with  lethargic  curiosity; 
Indian  women  in  their  blue  rebosas  squatted  against  the 
walls,  selling  cakes  and  dulces.  At  another  end  of  the  plaza, 


^ TEE  VALLEY  OF  OAXACA  265 

some  enterprising  citizen  had  started  an  American  boot- 
polishing stand,  with  a row  of  chairs  on  a low  platform, 
with  foot-rests  before  them.  Several  ragged  young  Indians 
accosted  passers-by  with  Shine,  boss,  diez  centavos,’’ 
and  wiled  away  the  time  by  romping  about  the  pavement, 
indulging  in  all  kinds  of  horseplay. 

Facing  the  plaza  stands  the  Government  Palace,  the 
residence  of  the  governor  and  the  meeting  place  of  the  State 
Legislature,  Oaxaca  being  the  capital  of  the  State  of  the  same 
name.  A sentry  in  a white  linen  uniform,  with  a rifle  and 
fixed  bayonet  over  his  shoulder,  marched  back  and  forth  in 
front  of  the  principal  entrance.  There  is,  in  this  respect, 
a great  difference  between  a Mexican  and  an  American  city. 
In  the  smallest  town  in  Mexico  there  is  always  the  armed 
sentinel  on  guard  outside  the  official  building  — the  emblem 
of  governmental  authority.  In  an  American  country  town, 
as  we  all  know,  there  is  not  even  a policeman,  and  half  a 
dozen  old  citizens  may  perhaps  be  seen,  sitting  outside  the 
courthouse  or  city  hall,  whittling  wood  with  their  pocket- 
knives  and  talking  politics.  Such  easy-going  ways  would 
not  do  in  Mexico ; for  there  the  sight  of  the  armed  sentry, 
typical  of  force  and  the  iron  hand,  is  needed  to  impress 
the  natives  with  the  dignity  of  the  government.  What  is 
suitable  for  the  Anglo-Saxon  is  not  suitable  for  the  still  semi- 
civilized  Indian  and  the  treacherous,  half-bred  Latin. 

With  a population  of  forty  thousand,  Oaxaca  is  quite  a 
large  place.  It  has  several  pretty  parks  and  public  squares 
in  various  quarters,  and  many  of  the  stores  and  other  busi- 
ness houses  would  do  credit  to  a much  larger  city.  Among 
the  public  buildings  are  a scientific  institute,  a seminary, 
an  historical  museum  and  a public  library.  Branching  off 
from  the  plaza  are  some  of  the  principal  streets,  full  of  shops 
and  other  business  places,  several  of  the  largest  owned  by 
Germans.  There,  too,  one  sees  the  usual  signs  of  the  Amer- 


266 


MEXICO 


ican  invasion — the  American  Grocery  Co./’  the  American 
druggist,  the  doctors,  the  dentists  and  two  American  banks. 
The  town  also  has  a weekly  American  newspaper,  the 
Oaxaca  Herald.  An  American  club  has  also  been  started 
and  to  this  most  of  the  English-speaking  residents  belong. 
The  members  are  chiefly  men  interested  in  mining,  the  ma- 
jority Americans,  the  others  being  Englishmen  and  Welsh- 
men. -This  club  has  some  very  comfortable  rooms  in  the 
Casino  Building  near  the  main  plaza,  where  I afterwards 
met  a number  of  pleasant  fellows  and  heard  many  a weird 
and  wonderful  story  about  the  mineral  wealth  of  southern 
Mexico. 

Oaxaca  is  a progressive  place,  and  many  improvements 
are  being  made.  In  the  course  of  another  year,  so  I was 
informed,  the  rough  cobble-stone  streets  were  to  be  repaved 
with  asphalt,  and  the  mule-cars,  which  already  run  out  into 
the  country  for  several  miles,  were  to  be  replaced  with  elec- 
tric traction. 

Although  it  was  hardly  nine  o’clock  when  I took  my 
evening  stroll,  nearly  all  the  shops  were  closed;  for  all 
Mexican  cities  believe  strongly  in  early  closing.  A street- 
car occasionally  jingled  by  and  gave  a touch  of  life  to  the 
quiet  streets,  but  very  few  people  were  to  be  seen.  In 
the  residential  part  of  the  town,  where  there  were  quaint, 
low  houses,  with  balconies  and  heavily  barred  windows,  I 
suddenly  came  upon  a more  animated  scene.  Hearing  the 
strains  of  music,  I wandered  up  one  of  the  streets,  where  I 
found  an  excellent  military  band  serenading  the  house  of 
some  prominent  citizen.  The  Indian  musicians,  in  blue 
uniforms,  were  playing  the  Pilgrims’  March  from  Tann- 
hauser  in  wonderfully  good  style.  A large  crowd  of  peons 
in  their  red  blankets  and  great  sombreros  had  gathered  in 
the  street  and  were  squatting  along  the  pavement  and  on 
the  door-steps.  Indian  women  stood  in  groups,  enjoying 


8 


THE  VALLEY  OF  OAXACA 


261 


a bit  of  gossip.  Senoritas  leaned  from  the  upper  balconies 
of  the  houses,  while  their  faithful  bears  stood  below,  looking 
upwards  at  their  divinities  and  chattering  away  so  con- 
tinuously that  they  must  have  had  terrible  cricks  in  their 
necks.  The  moonlight,  the  music  and  the  tender  passion 
probably  made  them  oblivious  to  such  a material  thing.  Al- 
together, in  its  strange  contrasts  of  blanketed  Indians  and 
Tannhauser,  tattered  Indian  women  and  charming  senoritas, 
it  was  a wonderfully  picturesque  and  typical  Mexican  scene. 

The  next  day  being  Saturday  and  market-day,  I first 
of  all  paid  a visit  to  the  local  market.  Along  the  roads 
leading  into  the  city  from  the  country  came  droves  of  bur- 
ros, loaded  with  fruit  and  vegetables,  butter  and  other 
merchandise,  driven  by  blanketed  Indians.  Queer  old 
carts  with  wheels  cut  out  of  solid  sections  of  trees,  went 
lumbering  by,  drawn  by  a couple  of  oxen,  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  loud  cracks  of  the  whip  and  constant  ^^arres'' 
(ah-rays)  shouted  by  the  drivers,  the  r’s  being  sounded  with 
the  long-drawn  trill.  The  Mexican  custom  of  yoking  the 
cattle  by  the  horns  seems  very  cruel,  as  the  heads  of  the 
animals  are  dragged  down  almost  to  the  ground. 

Indians  on  foot  and  burro  and  horseback  — men  and 
women  — went  by  in  a swarthy  procession.  Some  of  them 
had  come  over  a hundred  miles  to  the  market  and  had  been 
travelling  for  days.  From  the  hot  lands,  still  farther  south, 
the  goods  brought  to  market  were  chiefly  fruits,  — oranges, 
bananas,  cocoanuts,  limes,  pomegranates,  aguacates,  guana- 
banas  and  a variety  of  luscious,  fruity  nuts.  There  was  also 
farm  produce,  — chickens,  turkeys  and  ducks,  eggs  and 
cheese  and  what  not.  Women  balanced  on  their  heads 
huge  baskets  loaded  with  such  wares,  sometimes  carrying 
by  the  legs,  in  the  usual  Mexican  fashion,  a brace  of  live 
chickens.  On  the  backs  of  some  were  slung  brown-skinned, 
tangle-haired  babies,  staring  out  from  the  dirty  wraps  which 


268 


MEXICO 


enfolded  them,  with  blinking  eyes,  upon  the  world  which 
was  so  strange  to  them.  The  Indian  families  brought  all 
their  household  essentials  with  them,  a tin  pot  for  drinking 
and  cooking,  a few  tortillas,  some  firewood,  and  a little 
coffee ; the  whole  stock  of  provisions  and  utensils  probably 
does  not  exceed  in  value  one  or  two  dollars ; but  the  peon’s 
travelling  needs  are  few.  His  lodging  costs  nothing,  for 
he  sleeps  under  the  stars,  and  he  will  have  to  buy  nothing 
but  a little  fruit,  a few  beans  and  some  spirits.  His  chil- 
dren often,  and  his  wife  always,  accompany  the  peon  on  his 
travels,  for  she  fears  desertion  if  he  once  goes  away  alone. 

The  procession  of  Indians  constantly  reminded  me  of 
scenes  in  the  East,  particularly  those  Biblical  pictures  of 
desert  travelling,  the  donkeys,  the  ox-carts,  the  women 
balancing  their  loads  on  their  shapely  heads  like  the 
daughters  of  the  Nile,  and  in  the  background  the  white 
walls,  red  tiled-roofs  and  domes  of  Oaxaca  almost  like  a 
bit  of  Bagdad  or  Cairo. 

The  objective  of  all  these  processions  was,  of  course,  the 
market-place  — a great  walled  enclosure  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  town.  This  was  packed  with  a motley  crowd  of 
Indian  men  and  women,  wandering  about  intent  on  making 
hard  bargains,  and  the  air  was  filled  with  the  constant 
hum  and  buzz  of  their  voices.  No  one  seemed  to  be  dis- 
turbed by  the  dogs,  pigs  and  donkeys  in  the  market,  whose 
barks,  grunts  and  brays  added  their  quota  to  the  general 
din.  Near  the  entrance  were  the  stands  of  the  butchers, 
where  small  pieces  of  very  dark-looking  and  rather  high- 
smelling  meat  were  being  hacked  and  torn  to  the  size  de- 
sired by  the  purchasers.  Dealers  in  fried  meats  were  doing 
a roaring  business,  slices  of  pork  and  beef  being  served 
smoking  hot  to  hungry  peons  by  old  dames  who  did  their 
cooking  over  small  braziers  filled  with  glowing  charcoal. 
The  food  was  amazingly  cheap : for  five  cents  a peon  could 


J 


THE  VALLEY  OF  OAXACA  269 

relieve  the  pangs  of  hunger;  while  for  a dime  he  could  enjoy 
a veritable  gorge. 

Although  it  was  Christmas  time,  Oaxaca  was  ablaze  with 
sunshine,  the  weather  being  more  balmy  and  much  more 
delightful  than  the  fairest  day  in  an  English  midsummer. 
The  stalls  of  the  fruit  and  vegetable  sellers  were  loaded  with 
a tempting  array  of  new  potatoes,  luscious  tomatoes,  large 
radishes,  peas,  beans  and  cabbages.  There  were  oranges, 
bananas,  pineapples,  limes  and  plantains  fresh  from  the 
hot  lands  as  well  as  aguacates  (the  vegetable  salad),  gran- 
aditas,  mangoes,  granadas,  cocoanuts  and  prickly  pears. 
The  fruit  and  vegetables  were  attractively  arranged  in 
little  piles  on  large  banana  leaves,  while  such  things  as 
dried  beans,  Indian  corn,  chilis  and  eggs  were  spread  on 
clean  cloths.  In  gayly  painted  gourds  there  were  sweets, 
rich  preserves  and  cakes,  while  here  and  there  was  a bare- 
footed Indian  girl  selling  cream  cheese  and  lumps  of  unre- 
fined brown  sugar.  There  were  also  stalls  where  thirsty 
souls  could  quaff  the  freshly  extracted  juice  of  the  pine- 
apple, lime  or  tamarind,  or  imbibe  mugsful  of  the  evil- 
smelling pulque.  The  stall-keepers  sat  behind  their  little 
piles  of  merchandise  smoking  cigarettes,  these  booths  with 
the  jostling  crowds  which  surrounded  them  making  the 
place  almost  impassable. 

In  one  corner  of  the  market  were  pigs  and  other  live 
stock,  chickens,  ducks,  turkeys  and  brightly  colored  par- 
rots. Next  to  these  were  stalls  where  sarapes,  sombreros, 
cotton  suits,  rebosas  and  other  articles  of  clothing  were  on 
sale.  Baskets,  mats  and  bright  red  pottery  of  fantastic 
shapes  were  sold  in  another  quarter.  But  the  flower  stalls, 
with  their  fragrant  and  many-colored  blossoms,  formed 
the  most  attractive  sight  of  all.  Here,  in  this  December 
week,  were  great  masses  of  sweet-smelling  carnations  and 
violets,  with  a wealth  of  crimson  and  white  roses,  helio- 


270 


MEXICO 


trope,  sweet-peas,  pansies  and  wild  orchids.  An  immense 
bouquet  of  these  — all  that  you  could  carry  — costs  but  a 
few  cents. 

Oaxaca,  like  most  Mexican  cities,  contains  a number  of 
fine  old  churches  built  in  the  days  of  Spanish  domination, 
seven  of  them  dating  from  the  sixteenth  century.  Of 
these  the  most  interesting  is  the  Church  of  Santo  Domingo, 
which  is  not  only  the  most  imposing  of  them  all,  but  is 
one  of  the  most  important  in  Mexico.  After  it  was  built, 
the  great  gold-mining  millionaires  of  the  district  lavished 
their  wealth  upon  it.  The  life-size  figures  of  saints,  which 
are  in  relief,  were  literally  covered  with  gold,  and  so  rich 
and  so  heavy  was  the  precious  metal  on  the  walls  in  former 
days  that  it  could  be  easily  removed.  During  revolution- 
ary periods,  when  soldiers  were  quartered  in  Oaxaca,  the 
men  frequently  clamored  for  their  pay,  and  as  there  were 
usually  no  funds,  it  was  quite  customary  for  the  command- 
ing officers  to  say,  ^^Go  to  Santo  Domingo,  boys,  and  help 
yourselves.^^  Having  recently  been  restored  at  enormous 
cost,  the  church  is  one  of  the  most  richly  decorated  edifices 
on  the  American  continent.  Its  interior  is  a blaze  of  gold 
decoration  and  presents  a magnificent  sight. 

The  restoration  of  Santo  Domingo,  the  cathedral,  and 
most  of  the  other  churches  in  and  about  Oaxaca  is  due  to 
the  energy  of  the  archbishop.  Dr.  Gillow,  one  of  the  most 
popular  ecclesiastics  in  Mexico.  Archbishop  Gillow,  who 
is  the  son  of  an  Englishman,  was  educated  at  Stonyhurst 
College,  and  afterwards  spent  some  years  in  Rome.  He 
has  been  at  the  head  of  the  diocese  of  Oaxaca  for  over 
twenty  years. 

Despite  the  renovating  and  modernizing  which  are  in 
progress,  Oaxaca  has  still  an  old-world  appearance.  It 
is  situated  in  a broad  valley  surrounded  by  lofty  hills  and 
rocky,  barren  mountains  of  reddish  tint,  which  form  a 


THE  VALLEY  OF  OAXACA 


271 


striking  background  to  the  white  city.  Viewed  from  a 
distance,  under  a cloudless  blue  sky,  the  effect  is  wonder- 
fully beautiful.  On  one  side  of  the  city,  lying  close  to  the 
hills,  the  streets  have  a slight  ascent,  and  streams  of  clear 
water  flow  down  their  central  gutters  from  the  waterworks 
which  are  out  in  that  direction. 

Over  three  hundred  years  ago  a Spanish  traveller  de- 
scribed Oaxaca  as  ^‘a  not  very  big  yet  a fair  and  beautiful 
city.^^  It  was  a place  of  some  importance  before  the  Span- 
iards came.  The  native  inhabitants  called  it  Huaxyacca, 
meaning  ^Hhe  place  of  the  guages,’’  because  the  guage  tree, 
useful  for  its  wood  and  fruit,  abounds  in  the  Oaxaca  valley. 
The  Spaniards  who  colonized  the  place  in  1521  abbrevi- 
ated the  name  to  Oaxaca.  The  Zapotecs  inhabited  Oaxaca 
and  the  surrounding  country  when  the  Spaniards  came, 
and  their  descendants,  the  Zapotec  Indians,  still  living 
there,  speak  the  Zapotec  dialect  as  well  as  Spanish.  Cortes 
owned  vast  properties  in  this  part  of  Mexico,  and  Charles 
the  Fifth  of  Spain  bestowed  on  him  the  title  of  Marquis  of 
the  Valley  of  Oaxaca,  for  which  reason  he  was  generally 
called  “the  Marquis.’’  Oaxaca  has  a still  more  important 
part  in  Mexican  history ; for  it  was  here  in  1806  that  Benito 
Juarez  was  born,  and  in  1830  the  city  had  the  further 
honor  of  being  the  birthplace  of  the  present  great  ruler  of 
Mexico,  General  Porfirio  Diaz. 

Oaxaca  played  a very  important  part  in  the  revolutionary 
wars  and  in  1865  was  taken  by  the  French  army  under 
General  Bazaine.  The  garrison  was  then  commanded  by 
General  Diaz,  who  was  captured,  but  afterwards  escaped. 
A year  later,  at  the  head  of  a victorious  Mexican  army, 
he  defeated  the  French,  recaptured  the  city  with  all  the 
French  cannon,  ammunition  and  stores,  then  marched  on 
to  Puebla  and  Mexico  City.  The  remains  of  the  old  forts 
are  still  to  be  seen  on  the  heights  overlooking  the  town. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


LUXURIOUS  LIFE  AT  A GOLD-MINE 

Although  Mexico  is  the  greatest  silver-producing  coun- 
try in  the  world  and  is  also  rich  in  gold  and  other  minerals, 
the  average  tourist  sees  very  little  of  the  great  mining  in- 
dustry. Nor  is  this  surprising,  for  very  few  of  the  mines 
can  be  reached  by  railway,  and  to  get  to  them  one  must 
oftentimes  make  long,  tiring  journeys  on  burro  or  horse- 
back over  rough  mountain  trails.  In  this  respect  the  city 
of  Oaxaca  is  much  more  favorably  situated,  as  a number 
of  mines  can  be  reached  from  there  by  a short  railway 
journey  or  a day's  horseback  ride  over  fairly  good  roads. 

In  Ocotlan,  Taviche,  Ejutla,  and  other  adjacent  districts 
there  are  numerous  mines  producing  gold,  silver,  copper 
and  lead,  the  precious  metals  being  invariably  combined 
with  other  minerals.  Some  of  these  mines  were  worked 
in  the  early  Spanish  days  and  even  in  prehistoric  times. 
One  of  the  best  known  of  them  is  the  Natividad  in  the  Ixtlan 
district,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  richest  in  Mexico. 
It  produces  both  silver  and  gold,  and  from  an  original 
capital  of  $25,000  has  yielded  many  millions  in  dividends. 
Most  of  these  mines  are  controlled  by  foreigners,  chiefly 
Americans,  some  being  operated  by  stock  companies,  others 
by  individual  owners.  This  has  brought  a number  of 
American  mining  men  into  Oaxaca  and  also  a few  English, 
Welsh  and  Canadian  mining  engineers. 

During  my  stay  in  Oaxaca  I was  introduced  to  Mr. 
W.  H.  Baird  of  Pittsburg,  manager  of  the  Zavaleta  gold 

272 


TORTILLA  MAKING. 

Indian  women  grinding  corn  on  the  metate. 


MEXICAN  REBECCAS. 

Indian  maidens  at  the  village  spring. 


LUXURIOUS  LIFE  AT  A GOLD-MINE 


273 


mine,  some  twenty  miles  out.  Upon  learning  that  I wished 
to  see  something  of  the  mining  industry,  he  invited  me  to 
spend  a few  days  at  Zavaleta,  which  invitation  I gladly 
accepted. 

It  was  arranged  that  we  should  start  for  the  mine  the 
same  afternoon,  and  forthwith  a horse  was  found  for  me, 
equipped  with  an  American  saddle,  a great  luxury  for  an 
unhardened  rider,  as  the  heavy  Mexican  saddle  is  usually 
very  uncomfortable  on  first  acquaintance.  Just  as  we  were 
starting  on  our  journey  we  were  joined  by  another  American 
known  as  Don  Carlos, — his  name  was  Charles, — who  had 
been  employed  at  the  mine,  but  was  now  prospecting  on 
his  own  account  and  was  going  out  to  Zavaleta  to  spend 
Christmas  with  his  friends. 

It  was  about  one  o’clock  when  we  mounted  our  horses 
and  rode  off  through  the  cobble-paved  streets;  and  as  it 
was  market  day,  we  had  to  pick  our  way  among  a procession 
of  burros,  ox-carts  and  Indians,  some  still  straggling  in 
from  the  country  and  others  already  leaving  for  their 
homes.  The  road  that  we  took  led  down  to  a wide,  shallow 
river  with  a long  stretch  of  sandy  bed  on  each  side  of  it. 
Although  the  stream  was  spanned  by  a bridge,  we  crossed 
by  a ford  lower  down,  thus  saving  about  half  a mile.  Most 
of  the  Indians  took  the  same  short  cut,  some  removing  their 
sandals  and  wading  through  the  water,  others  splashing 
through  on  their  horses  and  burros.  Most  of  them  had  two 
or  three  ugly  looking  curs  trotting  at  their  heels ; for  how- 
ever poor  an  Indian  may  be,  he  is  never  too  poor  to  keep  a 
hungry  pack  of  mongrel  dogs.  After  crossing  the  river,  a 
gallop  along  a very  dusty  road  soon  brought  us  to  the  open 
country. 

The  road  after  a short  distance  became  a mere  trail,  and 
at  times  when  we  left  it  to  take  a short  cut  our  horses  had 
to  climb  up  steep,  rocky  paths  among  brush  and  cactus, 


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performing  the  feat  with  wonderful  agility.  For  mountain- 
climbing the  Mexican  horses  are  unexcelled. 

All  around  us  were  the  towering,  barren  mountains, 
bordering  a rocky  plain,  occasionally  planted  with  maguey, 
and  here  and  there  was  a bright  green  patch  of  sugar-cane 
or  vegetables  where  irrigation  was  in  progress.  Occasion- 
ally we  passed  the  crumbling  stonework  which  marks  the 
ancient  irrigation  conduits  which  were  in  use  long  before 
the  Spaniards  came  to  Mexico.  The  pre-Conquest  natives 
of  these  valleys  were  an  industrious  race,  and  there  is  hardly 
a hill  or  hollow  where  it  was  possible  to  collect  a little  soil 
that  has  not  been  cultivated  at  some  time.  These  plains, 
most  of  which  are  now  arid  in  the  dry  months;  were  then 
kept  fresh  and  luxuriant. 

Among  the  bright  green  patches  which  here  and  there 
we  passed  would  be  seen  a square  adobe  hut  with  a few 
shady  trees,  a perfectly  Oriental  picture.  Sometimes  there 
would  be  a herd  of  goats  watched  by  a solitary  shepherd 
with  his  crook,  in  the  truly  Biblical  way.  Once  we  passed 
a bare-legged  ploughman  in  his  white  linen  suit  and  big 
straw  sombrero,  ploughing  with  a yoke  of  oxen,  using  an 
ancient  one-bladed  wooden  plough  such  as  is  seen  in  East- 
ern lands.  Above  was  a cloudless  sky,  and  the  sun  streamed 
down  with  tropical  intensity.  We  were  glad  to  take  a rest 
at  a wayside  spring  where  the  Indian  Rebeccas  from  a 
neighboring  pueblo  (village)  were  filling  their  cantaros  or 
tall  red  water-pitchers  and  going  of!  with  them  balanced  on 
their  heads. 

An  American  clergyman  whom  I met  in  Puebla  told 
me  that  during  a long  residence  in  Mexico  he  had  been 
greatly  impressed  with  the  numerous  illustrations  of  Bib- 
lical customs  that  he  found  in  the  life  of  the  people.  Some 
of  these  had  been  introduced  by  the  Spaniards,  who,  at  the 
time  of  the  Conquest,  had  retained  many  of  the  usages  of 


LUXURIOUS  LIFE  AT  A GOLD-MINE 


275 


the  Moors,  who  had  only  recently  been  driven  from  Spain. 
Many  of  the  customs,  however,  were  in  common  use  already 
when  the  Spaniards  came  to  Mexico,  and  have  been  supposed 
by  some  authorities  to  point  to  the  Oriental  origin  of  the 
Aztecs  or  their  predecessors. 

On  our  way  we  passed  a hill  with  a picturesque  ruin,  an 
old  domed  church,  built  by  the  Spaniards  early  in  the  six- 
teenth century.  Tradition  says  that  it  was  built  by  Cortes, 
and  that  he  immured  one  of  his  numerous  wives  in  the  con- 
vent adjoining  it.  Mexico  is  full  of  legends  of  the  great 
Conqueror  and  his  wives;  at  one  place  you  are  shown 
the  house  where  he  is  said  to  have  strangled  one  of  them ; 
at  another,  a well  where  he  drowned  one;  and  another, 
where  he  is  said  to  have  poisoned  one. 

Zavaleta  is  about  fifteen  hundred  feet  higher  than  Oaxaca, 
so  that  our  ride  was  a gradual  ascent.  About  halfway  the 
country  changed,  the  barren,  sun-baked  mountains  giving 
place  to  towering  heights  of  three  and  four  thousand  feet, 
covered  with  trees,  most  of  them  beautifully  green.  The 
air  also  grew  much  cooler.  Onward  we  rode,  up  hill  and 
down  dale,  along  rocky  roads,  some  of  them  so  steep  that 
our  horses  in  descending  almost  slid  down,  their  haunches 
being  so  much  higher  than  their  forelegs  Sometimes  we 
forded  a brawling  stream  which  dashed  along  its  rocky 
bed,  winding  in  and  out  among  the  mountains.  At  last, 
about  four  o^clock,  our  journey  came  to  an  end  and  we 
entered  the  valley  of  Zavaleta,  as  wild  as  any  glen  in  the 
remote  Scottish  Highlands. 

A foaming  stream,  rushing  down  from  the  mountains, 
wound  through  the  middle  of  the  valley,  leaping  through 
a succession  of  beautiful  cascades.  Our  road  was  about  a 
hundred  feet  above  this,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
valley  was  a small  group  of  huts  of  adobe,  each  standing 
in  a small  cultivated  patch.  Outside  these  the  Indian 


276 


MEXICO 


women  were  squatting,  busily  patting  their  tortillas,  pre- 
paring the  evening  meal ; the  Indian  children  were  playing 
about  in  their  solemn  way ; and  the  pungent  smoke  of  the 
village  fires  was  slowly  rising  in  the  air. 

We  passed  the  crushing  works  or  stamp-mill,  where  the 
ore  is  ground,  the  mountain  stream  furnishing  the  power 
for  this  and  also  for  the  electric-light  plant.  A short  dis- 
tance beyond  we  reached  a veritable  oasis  in  the  desert, 
a spot  of  marvellous  beauty.  Two  picturesque  stone 
houses,  which  furnished  quarters  for  the  manager  of  the 
mine  and  his  assistants,  were  surrounded  by  beautiful  irri- 
gated gardens  filled  with  trees  and  flowering  plants  in  won- 
derful variety.  The  houses  themselves  were  covered  with 
magenta  bougainvillea  in  full  bloom;  the  gardens  were 
bright  with  red  and  white  roses,  pansies,  violets,  camellias, 
scarlet  hibiscus,  red  poinsettia  and  jasmine,  filling  the  air 
with  exquisite  perfume.  Through  the  gardens  ran  streams 
of  clear  water,  irrigating  them  and  keeping  them  perpetu- 
ally green. 

Baird  told  me  that  the  houses  were  built  and  the  gardens 
laid  out  by  an  Englishman  interested  in  archeology  who 
had  formerly  owned  the  mine.  He  had  lived  in  the  valley 
for  several  years,  and  while  looking  after  the  mine  had  ex- 
plored the  prehistoric  ruins  in  that  part  of  the  country. 
He  eventually  sold  the  property  to  an  American  syndicate. 
Baird  added : If  we  had  started  the  mine,  you  wouldnT 

have  found  a place  like  this.  American  mining  men  always 
work  first  and  play  afterwards,  living  in  any  kind  of  an  old 
shanty  until  the  mine  has  been  developed  and  is  paying. 
Englishmen  usually  do  just  the  reverse.  There  is  a mine 
in  this  district,^^  he  continued,  “which  belonged  to  an  Eng- 
lish company,  and  they  sent  out  some  young  Englishmen 
to  run  it.  The  first  thing  they  did  was  to  build  comfortable 
houses  and  make  a good  road  to  the  town,  so  that  they 


LUXURIOUS  LIFE  AT  A GOLD-MINE 


277 


could  gallop  in  there  occasionally  on  their  fast  horses. 
Then  they  laid  in  a fine  stock  of  provisions,  all  kinds  of 
canned  things,  lots  of  wine,  and  lived  like  fighting-cocks. 
It  wasn’t  surprising  that  the  company  couldn’t  pay  divi- 
dends. Finally  they  sacked  the  Englishmen  and  employed 
some  rough-and-ready,  hard-working  Americans,  and  are 
now  getting  a fair  profit  on  the  investment.” 

In  point  of  solid  comfort  Zavaleta  was  far  ahead  of  any- 
thing I had  experienced  in  Puebla  or  even  Mexico  City. 
Not  only  were  the  houses  at  the  mine  cosily  furnished  and 
electric  lighted,  but  they  had  — joyful  sight ! — open  fire- 
places ; and  when  the  sun  sank  behind  the  mountains,  crac- 
kling wood  fires  were  started,  and  one  could  sit  down  and 
positively  enjoy  life.  Being  nearly  seven  thousand  feet 
above  sea-level,  with  cool  streams  running  through  it,  the 
valley  has  the  usual  characteristics  of  a mountain  place. 
During  the  winter  months  it  usually  loses  sight  of  the  sun 
before  five  o’clock  in  the  evening,  and  when  the  long  shad- 
ows fall  the  air  soon  grows  chilly ; by  night  it  is  quite  sharp. 

The  view  from  the  porch  of  Baird’s  house  was  superb; 
all  around  were  towering  mountains  covered  with  dense 
woods;  and  there  were  varied  tints  in  the  foliage  which 
strongly  reminded  me  of  autumn  scenes  in  our  White 
Mountains.  Each  of  the  houses  had  an  Indian  woman 
acting  as  housekeeper,  and  during  my  stay  we  had  very 
good  meals,  plain  food  but  well  cooked,  and  the  keen 
mountain  air  was  a great  stimulus  to  the  appetite. 

On  the  following  day,  which  was  Sunday,  I inspected 
the  mine,  which  was  about  half  a mile  from  the  houses,  and 
consisted  of  several  tunnels  driven  into  the  side  of  a neigh- 
boring mountain.  Along  these  tunnels  tramway  rails  were 
laid,  small  trucks  taking  the  ore  from  the  mine  down  the 
line  to  the  stamp-mill  below,  where  it  was  put  in  the  crusher. 
The  tunnels  were  lit  with  electric  light,  and  as  most  of  them 


278 


MEXICO 


were  quite  dry,  the  miner work  was  not  unhealthy.  About 
twenty  peons  were  employed. 

While  I was  in  the  mine  Baird  called  my  attention  to  a 
rude  shrine  near  the  entrance,  consisting  of  a small  hollow 
in  the  rock  which  held  a rough  wooden  cross.  Before  com- 
mencing work,  he  said,  it  was  the  custom  of  the  miners  to 
pause  at  the  shrine  and  say  an  Ave  Maria,  which  was  sup- 
posed to  preserve  them  from  accidents  and  bring  them 
good  luck  in  striking  rich  ore.  The  same  custom  is  fol- 
lowed by  Mexican  bricklayers,  who  when  erecting  a build- 
ing always  set  up  their  crosses  in  the  scaffolding,  firmly 
believing  that  these  will  protect  them  against  falls.  In 
factories,  too,  small  shrines  are  usually  set  into  the  walls  of 
the  various  work-rooms. 

Baird’s  mining  foreman  was  a very  intelligent  German 
called  Gus,  who  came  from  a small  town  near  Bingen  on  the 
Rhine.  Having  been  apprenticed  to  a florist  in  his  youthful 
days,  he  was  something  of  a botanist,  and  when  he  was  not 
at  work  in  the  mine  he  was  always  pottering  about  the 
gardens  looking  after  the  flowers.  Another  member  of 
the  staff  was  an  American  named  Green,  hailing  from  Bos- 
ton, who  superintended  the  stamp-mill  and  made  assays 
of  the  ores,  being  a skilled  metallurgist. 

The  gold  in  the  Zavaleta  rock  is  mixed  with  a certain 
proportion  of  silver,  iron  and  copper.  During  my  stay  I 
saw  the  whole  process  of  gold  extraction.  The  ore,  on 
being  taken  down  to  the  mill,  passed  under  six  heavy  iron 
stampers,  which  were  continually  stamping  down  like  steam 
hammers,  hence  the  name  — stamp-mill.  These  pulverized 
the  ore  into  powder,  which  was  then  passed  over  a long, 
slanting  metal  table  coated  with  quicksilver.  Water  was 
kept  flowing  over  this  table  at  the  same  time,  and  the  pow- 
dered ore  was  thus  converted  into  a sort  of  thin  mud.  All 
the  free  gold  in  it  — that  is,  gold  unmixed  with  any  other 


LUXURIOUS  LIFE  AT  A GOLD-MINE 


279 


mineral  — amalgamated  with  the  quicksilver.  The  rest 
of  the  mud,  containing  gold  combined  with  other  minerals, 
ran  into  a box  called  the  ^^concentration  box.^^  There  it 
was  dried,  eventually  made  into  bricquettes  and  sent  to  a 
smelter  where  the  gold  was  extracted.  The  mud  contain- 
ing no  mineral  runs  off  in  a different  direction  and  is  called 
the  tailings.’’  For  over  half  a mile  along  the  stream  below 
the  mill  the  bank  was  covered  with  tailings,  and  the  stream 
itself  was  milky  white  from  the  waste  running  into  it. 
Every  day  or  so  the  quicksilver  is  scraped  from  the  table 
and  taken  to  the  laboratory  and  there,  with  the  aid  of  a 
furnace,  a crucible  and  other  apparatus.  Green  separated 
the  gold  from  the  quicksilver,  the  gold  remaining  in  the 
shape  of  a small  disc  varying  in  size  according  to  the  rich- 
ness of  the  ore  taken  from  the  mine. 

Oaxaca  is  one  of  the  richest  mining  States  in  Mexico, 
and  quite  near  to  the  city  Baird  pointed  out  to  me  some 
rocks  which  he  said  contained  a percentage  of  copper. 
The  country  between  Sonora,  on  the  borders  of  the  United 
States,  and  Oaxaca  is  the  richest  in  minerals  of  all  Mexico. 
It  is  as  yet  but  half  realized  by  foreign  capitalists  what  vast 
w^ealth  still  lies  hidden  there.  Cecil  Rhodes  is  said  to  have 
once  declared,  ‘^1  am  not  blind  to  the  union  of  opinion  as 
expressed  by  scientists  and  experts  that  Mexico  will  one 
day  furnish  the  gold,  silver,  copper  and  precious  stones 
that  wall  build  the  empires  of  to-morrow  and  make  future 
cities  of  the  world  veritable  New  Jerusalems.” 

Enterprise  and  capital,  particularly  the  latter,  are  the 
essentials  necessary  for  the  great  mining  developments  in 
the  Republic,  wRich  a few  years  will  probably  witness. 
Good  properties  are  not  to  be  obtained  for  nothing,  and  the 
carpet-bag  exploiter  must  ever  meet  with  disappointments. 
The  Mexican  government  is  thoroughly  alive  to  the  value 
of  the  land,  and  good  mining  concessions  are  not  in  the  gift 


280 


MEXICO 


of  the  *^man  with  a scheme  and  a piece  of  ore  in  his  pocket. 
Many  of  the  richest  of  the  old  Spanish  workings  will  yield 
sooner  or  later,  in  return  for  a generous  outlay  of  capital, 
fortunes  for  companies  willing  and  able  to  take  up  con- 
cessions seriously  and  install  machinery  which  will  make 
possible  what  could  not  be  effected  by  the  antiquated 
methods  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  Spaniards  overlooked  very  little  of  the  best  yielding 
properties ; but  here  and  there  are  districts  which  are  almost 
virgin.  For  example,  southwest  of  Oaxaca,  and  not  far 
from  the  wonderful  ruins  of  Mitla,  are  to  be  found  free  mill- 
ing gold  ores  on  which  work  has  only  just  begun.  Close 
at  hand  are  the  copper  mines  of  San  Baltazar,  believed  to 
be  the  place  from  which  the  ancient  inhabitants  obtained 
the  copper  used  in  the  manufacture  of  the  axes  and  other 
tools  employed  in  the  hewing  and  shaping  of  the  great  stones 
of  which  the  Mitla  palaces  are  built. 

The  Mexican  mining  laws,  which  are  very  liberal,  give 
foreigners  the  same  rights  as  Mexicans.  Boards  are  estab- 
lished in  every  mining  community  to  look  after  mining 
interests.  Any  one  who  discovers  mineral  can  take  up  a 
claim  by  what  is  called  “denouncing’^  it  before  the  board. 
The  ordinary  claim  is  called  a pertencia  and  is  a hundred 
metres  square,  containing  therefore  ten  thousand  square 
metres.  A tax  of  ten  dollars  must  be  paid  annually  to 
protect  the  claim  from  forfeiture.  According  to  the  govern- 
ment reports,  over  twelve  thousand  claims  have  been  re- 
corded. The  Mexican  government  claims  only  a twenty- 
fifth  part  of  the  proceeds  of  a mine ; a fifth  was  exacted  by 
the  Spanish  viceroys  in  the  good  old  days. 

Possession  of  a claim  gives  no  right  to  the  surface  ground 
within  its  boundaries,  and  all  parts  occupied  have  to  be 
settled  for  separately.  There  is,  however,  never  any  diffi- 
culty about  this,  as  the  surface  ground  can  be  expropriated 


LUXURIOUS  LIFE  AT  A GOLD-MINE 


281 


from  the  owner  if  any  trouble  is  experienced,  and  as  a rule 
no  compensation  whatever  is  demanded.  According  to 
law,  the  owner  of  land  can  demand  compensation  only  for 
the  ground  on  the  surface  actually  occupied  by  the  miners 
and  their  buildings.  The  ownership  of  the  land  does  not 
extend  more  than  a certain  number  of  feet  under  the  soil, 
so  that  only  the  surface  land  actually  occupied  has  to  be 
paid.  for.  After  a miner  has  once  settled  for  the  entrance 
to  the  mine,  he  can  drive  his  tunnels  for  miles  beneath  the 
ground  without  paying  anything  further.  I may  add  that 
there  is  little  or  no  placer  mining  in  Mexico;  nuggets  do 
not  lie  about  in  the  mountains  or  in  the  streams  as  in 
Klondike  and  other  gold-fields.  Nearly  all  the  gold  is 
mixed  with  other  minerals  and  must  be  extracted  by  the 
process  already  described  or  by  what  is  called  the  ‘^cyan- 
ide process,’^  which  is  much  more  complicated  and  expen- 
sive. The  ore  in  the  Zavaleta  mine  was  blasted  out  with 
dynamite  and  also  removed  with  drills  and  other  miner’s 
tools,  and  then  broken  into  convenient  size  with  sledge- 
hammers for  the  stamp-mill. 

Hundreds  of  American  adventurers  in  Mexico  go  out 
prospecting  for  gold  and  silver,  and  if  they  discover  a rich 
deposit  they  can  start  a gold  or  silver  mine,  provided  they 
have  enough  money  to  pay  the  small  government  tax, 
settle  with  the  native  under  whose  land  the  mineral  is 
situated  and  do  a little  preliminary  work.  In  cases  where 
mineral  is  found  on  public  lands,  no  charge  is  made  by  the 
government  for  the  surface  land  occupied,  and  only  the  tax 
has  to  be  paid.  Sometimes  a prospector  will  strike  some- 
thing rich  and  manage  to  sell  out  to  capitalists  and  thus 
make  a fortune. 

Green  and  Gus  were  both  practical  mining  men,  and  had 
worked  in  gold  and  silver  mines  in  Colorado.  They  had 
been  prospecting  round  Zavaleta,  and  having  discovered 


282 


MEXICO 


that  the  vein  of  Baird^s  mine  extended  to  a mountain  still 
farther  on,  they  obtained  a concession  for  mining  there  and 
had  driven  a tunnel  into  the  mountain  side.  Some  good 
ore  had  already  been  found,  and  they  expected  to  find  even- 
tually a purchaser  for  the  property  and  so  become  rich.  I 
rode  out  with  them  to  see  their  mine  the  day  after  my 
arrival.  The  way  was  rough  and  rocky,  and  our  horses 
had  to  climb  up  nearly  a thousand  feet  to  reach  the  place, 
the  trail  winding  round  the  side  of  a ravine,  where  a false 
step  would  have  sent  horse  and  rider  down  an  awful  preci- 
pice. While  crossing  the  stream  which  runs  through  the 
Zavaleta  valley  I noticed  beautifully  cool,  placid  pools 
where  trout  might  lie,  but  there  was  not  even  a minnow. 
I was  told  that  there  are  no  trout  in  any  of  these  mountain 
streams.  A few  of  the  rivers  in  Oaxaca  have  fish  in  them, 
but  they  are  not  prolific,  which  is  probably  due  to  the  law- 
less methods  of  the  Indians,  who  use  fine  nets,  poison  the 
water  and  even  blow  up  the  fish  with  dynamite. 

Up  in  the  mountains  above  the  valley  the  air  was  de- 
lightfully cool  even  at  midday.  The  mountain  sides  were 
thickly  wooded,  the  rocky  soil  was  covered  with  fine  green 
grass,  and  beautiful  ferns,  from  the  delicate  maiden-hair  to 
the  large,  broad-leaved  species,  were  growing  luxuriantly. 
It  was  indeed  almost  impossible  to  realize  that  I was  in 
the  wilds  of  southern  Mexico.  I might  have  been  in  the 
woods  of  New  England  in  early  summer  time'  or  amid  the 
Scottish  Highlands,  except  that  there  were  very  few  pine 
trees.  Birds,  too,  seemed  to  be  scarce  in  these  woods,  and 
save  for  an  occasional  whistle  or  chirp,  silence  reigned. 
There  is,  in  fact,  very  little  animal  life  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  There  are  a few  small  gray  deer  in  the  moun- 
tains, but  they  are  very  rarely  seen.  I also  noticed  that 
there  were  very  few  insects  at  this  season,  no  mosquitoes 
or  other  troublesome  pests  usually  found  in  warm  countries. 


A VALLEY  IN  THE  SIERRAS. 

One  of  the  charming  scenes  in  Southern  Mexico. 


WITHIN  THE  RUINS  OF  MITLA. 

The  wonderful  Hall  of  Mosaics.  (See  page  30G.) 


LUXURIOUS  LIFE  AT  A GOLB-MINE 


283 


The  State  of  Oaxaca  is  famous  for  its  scenery  and  is 
exceedingly  mountainous.  Its  southern  boundary  reaches 
almost  to  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec  in  the  extreme  south 
of  Mexico.  It  is  traversed  through  its  entire  length  by  a 
majestic  chain  of  mountains  (Las  Sierras  Madre  del  Sur), 
rising  at  some  points  to  eleven  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  The  State  is  surprisingly  rich  in  its  forests 
and  valuable  woods,  of  which  there  are  a wonderful  vari- 
ety, including  mahogany,  ebony,  rosewood,  maple,  walnut, 
acacia,  cedar,  pine,  oak,  holly,  olive,  poplar,  apricot, 
lignum  vitae,  veneering  woods  of  all  kinds  and  a number 
of  costly  dye  woods.  Oaxaca  abundantly  produces  Indian 
corn,  wheat,  beans,  cotton,  barley,  coffee,  cacao,  sugar-cane, 
rice,  vanilla,  pepper,  tobacco,  hemp  and  india-rubber, 
oranges,  lemons,  bananas,  mangoes ; in  fact,  every  known 
fruit  and  vegetable  will  yield  abundant  and  profitable 
harvests. 

The  climatic  range  of  Oaxaca  is  of  a most  charming 
character,  varying  from  the  cool,  fresh,  invigorating  tem- 
perature found  in  the  mountainous  districts  to  that  of  trop- 
ical heat.  In  the  uplands,  from  five  to  six  thousand  feet, 
the  climate  is  the  most  genial  and  temperate  on  earth, 
from  day  to  day  and  from  season  to  season  the  weather 
changing  only  sufficiently  to  provide  a gentle  variety  with- 
out violent  transitions.  A day’s  ride  from  the  city  of 
Oaxaca  will  take  you  to  an  elevation  of  ten  thousand  feet, 
where  you  can  kick  about  among  the  pine  cones  and  oak 
apples,  experiencing  the  coolness  of  a northern  October, 
or  down  to  the  hot  lands  to  revel  among  the  pineapples, 
strange  orchids  and  rank  vegetation  characteristic  of  a 
tropical  climate  near  the  sea-coast. 

The  scenic  beauties  of  the  State  are  unrivalled.  Majestic 
mountains  whose  peaks  seem  to  melt  into  the  clear  blue 
sky  form  the  background  of  scenery  full  of  charming  peace- 


284 


MEXICO 


fulness,  of  beautiful  valleys  enriched  with  nature^s  bounty 
of  tropical  verdure;  whilst  ravines,  cascades  and  swift- 
flowing rivers  and  streams  give  a touch  of  the  wild  and 
romantic  to  every  view. 

The  days  of  Zavaleta  were  like  midsummer,  but  the  nights 
were  cool  and  bracing.  There  was  a beautifully  clear  sky, 
and  the  stars  shone  with  that  dazzling  brightness  peculiar 
to  the  tropics. 

If  Zavaleta  had  been  in  any  country  less  remote  it  would, 
by  this  time,  have  been  transformed  into  a popular  winter 
resort.  A fine  large  hotel  would  have  been  established 
there,  equipped  with  all  modern  luxuries ; several  miles  of 
the  surrounding  lands  would  have  been  laid  out  as  a great 
park ; the  streams  would  have  been  preserved  and  stocked 
with  trout.  These  attractions,  combined  with  its  superb 
climate  and  magnificent  scenery,  would  make  it  an  earthly 
paradise  in  the  winter-time. 

The  country  about  Zavaleta  is  very  scantily  settled, 
with  only  an  occasional  Indian  village  of  adobe  huts. 
Only  a fraction  of  it  is  cultivated,  although  its  agricultural 
possibilities  are  unlimited.  What  a country  it  would  be  if, 
instead  of  the  dirty,  lazy  Indians,  it  was  inhabited  by,  say, 
the  sturdy,  industrious  peasants  of  northern  Italy ! Its 
barren  hills  and  valleys  would  then  be  covered  with  vine- 
yards and  fruit  trees  of  every  description.  Peopled  by 
an  industrious,  progressive  race  there  would  be  no  end  to 
its  possibilities. 

It  is  pitiful  to  think  of  such  a wonderful  land  remaining 
in  the  hands  of  the  shiftless  Indians.  In  a country  where 
nearly  every  description  of  fruit,  cereal  and  vegetable  can 
be  raised,  they  are  content  to  live  on  tortillas  and  beans ; 
their  little  farms  are  rudely  cultivated ; they  reap  one  large 
crop  of  Indian  corn  and  then  let  the  ground  lie  idle  for  the 
rest  of  the  year,  whereas  they  might  gather  two  or  three 


LUXUBIOUS  LIFE  AT  A GOLD-MINE 


285 


crops.  Fruit  trees  might  be  easily  planted  or  even  raised 
from  seed ; but  that  is  too  much  trouble.  Nor  have  they 
any  idea  of  beautifying  their  huts.  I do  not  remember 
seeing  one  that  had  any  flowers  planted  about  it  unless 
they  were  wild  creepers  planted  by  the  hand  of  nature. 
The  idle  peon  dawdles  at  home,  smoking  his  cigarettes  and 
living  from  hand  to  mouth.  Give  him  enough  tortillas  and 
beans,  a little  sugar,  coffee  and  tobacco,  his  wants  are  satis- 
fied, and  he  cares  not  a jot  about  the  world  and  its  progress. 
Even  if  his  contentment  and  his  preference  for  the  simple 
life  are  suggestive  of  a latter-day  Arcady,  he  is  undoubtedly 
an  obstacle  to  progress  and  to  the  best  interests  of  his  lovely 
land. 

As  I rode  through  this  fair  country  I thought  how  topsy- 
turvy the  world  often  seems  to  be.  Thousands  of  wretched, 
half-starved  people  herding  in  the  great  cities  of  Europe, 
their  minds  and  bodies  dwarfed  by  their  surroundings, 
knowing  nothing  of  the  beauties  of  nature ; and  here  a great 
district  capable  of  supporting  a hundred  times  as  many 
is  literally  going  to  waste. 

I had  a good  opportunity  of  studying  the  indolent  habits 
of  the  peon's  life,  for  just  across  the  valley  the  little  group 
of  huts  was  inhabited  by  typical  Indian  families.  Most  of 
the  men  worked  in  the  mine  when  they  were  not  celebrat- 
ing feast-days ; the  women,  when  not  engaged  in  making 
tortillas,  spent  most  of  their  time  in  washing  the  household 
clothing  in  the  stream.  I often  wondered  why  it  is  that  with 
all  this  washing  the  peon  generally  appears  to  be  so  dirty. 
By  some  queer  law  of  gravitation  dirt  seems  to  actually 
fly  to  him.  Here,  too,  was  another  of  those  remarkable 
Mexican  contrasts.  On  one  side  of  the  valley  were  the  Ind- 
ians living  their  simple,  primeval  life ; on  our  side  were'  the 
comfortable  electric-lighted  houses  with  all  the  conditions 
of  civilization. 


286 


MEXICO 


Looking  across  the  valley  one  afternoon,  I witnessed  a 
touching  little  scene.  It  was  a day  or  two  before  Christmas, 
and  the  children  were  gathered  outside  the  Indian  huts  to 
celebrate  the  festive  season.  Suspended  from  the  branches 
of  a tree  was  a pinate,  gorgeous  with  its  colored  tissue  paper, 
tinsel  and  ribbons.  The  mothers  stood  in  a group  affec- 
tionately watching  the  children  as  they  strove  to  knock 
it  down,  one  after  another  being  blindfolded,  until  one 
grave  little  maiden  managed  to  strike  and  break  it,  when 
there  was  a general  scramble  for  its  sugary  contents. 
They  had  probably  been  looking  forward  to  this  little  fes- 
tivity for  weeks,  and  it  was  all  conducted  in  such  a quiet, 
subdued  way,  as  if  generations  of  oppression  and  squalor 
had  crushed  all  the  joy  from  their  hearts.  With  their 
poverty  and  pitiful  surroundings  there  was  to  me  something 
extremely  pathetic  in  this  little  scene.  I forgot  their  dirt, 
their  indolence  and  all  their  other  bad  traits,  for  this  one 
touch  of  a common  nature  had  made  us  akin. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


CHRISTMAS  AT  LOS  REYES 

To  spend  Christmas  in  the  wilds  of  the  Mexican  Sierras 
would  seem  attractive  to  any  one  in  search  of  novel  expe- 
riences. And  it  was  thus  that  the  idea  impressed  me  when 
I accepted  an  invitation  to  accompany  my  friends  at  Zava- 
leta  on  a holiday-making  trip  of  twenty  miles  across  the 
mountains.  Our  destination  was  the  little  village  of  San 
Miguel  Peras  in  the  beautiful  Penoles  district,  near  which 
place  is  situated  the  famous  Los  Reyes  gold-mine,  owned 
by  an  American  company.  Its  superintendent,  a hos- 
pitable Canadian,  had  invited  us  to  spend  Christmas 
there. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  previous  day  we  started 
on  our  expedition,  my  companions  being  Green,  Gus  and 
Don  Carlos.  ^^What  would  your  friends  in  New  York 
think  of  this  for  Christmas  weather  asked  Green,  as  we 
mounted  our  horses  and  rode  off.  I wondered ; for,  unlike 
the  weather  of  the  average  northern  Christmas,  the  sun  was 
blazing  down  from  an  unclouded  sky  with  an  intensity 
more  in  keeping  with  a tropical  midsummer. 

We  took  a rough  trail  winding  up  the  mountain  side, 
climbing  higher  and  higher,  our  path  at  times  bordering 
deep  gorges  of  a thousand  feet  or  more.  As  we  gained  the 
summit  of  the  range,  a magnificent  view  unrolled  before  us, 
wnth  miles  upon  miles  of  wooded  mountains  and  valleys, 
and  the  great  plain  of  Oaxaca  backed  in  the  far  distance  by 
the  towering  peaks  of  the  Sierras.  The  trail  at  last  joined 

287 


288 


MEXICO 


a rough,  rocky  road,  with  occasional  level  stretches  where 
we  could  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  a gallop. 

On  our  way  we  passed  through  two  or  three  Indian 
pueblos  or  villages,  always  of  the  same  type,  a collection 
of  adobe  huts,  most  of  them  surrounded  with  a cactus 
hedge,  and  one  more  pretentious  than  the  others  serving 
as  a sort  of  general  store.  From  these  pueblos  and  from 
some  of  the  scattered  huts  a pack  of  yelping  curs  sallied 
forth,  snapping  at  our  horses’  heels.  One  of  my  compan- 
ions was  for  shooting  some  of  them  with  his  revolver ; but 
the  others  dissuaded  him,  as  the  peons,  they  said,  would 
follow  us  for  miles,  demanding  compensation.  Some 
Americans  in  Mexico  arm  themselves  with  small  air-guns 
loaded  with  ammonia  with  which  to  keep  off  these  dogs, 
which  are  certainly  one  of  the  curses  of  the  country. 

Occasionally  we  passed  rude  wooden  crosses  set  up  in 
piles  of  stones,  mute  reminders  of  an  age  that  has  almost 
passed  away.  Each  marks  the  spot  where  a murder  has 
been  committed,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  a good  Catholic  to 
mutter  a prayer  for  the  soul  of  the  victim  as  he  passes,  and 
perchance  to  add  a stone  to  the  pile.  In  some  parts  of 
Mexico  there  are  so  many  of  these  crosses  that  a stranger 
would  suppose  that  they  marked  the  graves  in  a wayside 
cemetery.  The  Mexican  bandit  in  former  times  not  only 
robbed,  but  more  often  than  not  killed  his  victims;  and 
even  to  this  day  men  do  not  travel  in  the  remoter  districts 
without  a revolver  and  plenty  of  ammunition.  The  mining 
men  who  went  into  the  Sierras  from  Oaxaca,  I noticed, 
always  had  their  revolvers  strapped  to  their  belts. 

By  a continuous  ascent  we  eventually  reached  an  altitude 
of  nearly  ten  thousand  feet  and  entered  one  of  the  most 
charming  bits  of  country  that  I had  seen  in  Mexico.  It 
was,  in  fact,  very  hard  for  me  to  realize  that  I was  actually 
in  Mexico  and  not  in  the  midst  of  some  peaceful  English 


CHRISTMAS  AT  LOS  REYES 


289 


park  in  the  early  summer-time.  We  trotted  through  green 
woodland  paths  shaded  by  fine  old  oaks  and  other  trees 
common  in  temperate  climes;  through  deep  glades  where 
the  earth  was  carpeted  with  green,  luscious  grass,  the  air 
cooled  by  limpid  streams  which  dashed  over  mossy  rocks. 
All  the  features  of  an  English  June  were  here  save  that 
the  woods  were  silent;  there  were  no  signs  of  animal  life 
and  scarcely  the  chirp  of  a bird  to  be  heard. 

Farther  on  we  came  to  a long  stretch  of  well-laid  road, 
probably  made  in  the  old  Spanish  days.  On  one  side  of 
this  road  was  a deep,  wooded  glen ; the  other  was  bordered 
by  a high  bank  which  had  been  faced  with  rocks,  now  cov- 
ered with  thick  moss  and  fern.  We  were  now  making  a 
descent,  and  over  the  tree-tops  below  us  we  caught  occa- 
sional glimpses  of  a broad  valley  and  wild  stretches  of  forest. 
Down  the  road  we  galloped,  and  after  crossing  the  valley, 
a few  more  miles  brought  us  to  San  Miguel  Peras,  the  end 
of  our  journey. 

Entering  the  village,  we  passed  the  casa  municipal  or 
town  hall,  a neat  little  building  of  white  stone,  the  parish 
church  and  then  the  usual  collection  of  peon  huts.  Strung 
along  the  village  street  were  telephone  wires,  which  we  had 
also  noticed  during  our  journey,  connecting  the  district 
with  Oaxaca  and  other  places.  The  government  at  Mexico 
City  is  thus  kept  in  direct  touch  with  the  remotest  parts 
of  the  Sierras. 

At  the  fonda  or  village  store,  Don  Ignacio,  the  book- 
keeper of  the  mine,  was  waiting  to  greet  us.  He  spoke 
with  such  a strong  Scotch  accent  that  at  first  I thought 
he  was  a real  Scot,  and  wondered  how  he  had  contrived,  to 
translate  Duncan  or  Sandy  into  Ignacio.  He  informed 
me,  however,  that  he  was  of  Portuguese  parentage  and 
having  been  born  in  Scotland  had  acquired  his  accent  there. 
The  Don  spoke  Spanish  fluently,  and  was  of  great  servic9 


290 


MEXICO 


in  acting  as  mediator  between  the  mining  people  and  the 
natives. 

A few  minutes^  ride  beyond  the  village  brought  us  to  the 
headquarters  of  the  mine.  Here  we  met  the  superintend- 
ent, Mr.  Alexander  Smith,  and  his  Canadian  assistant, 
who  gave  us  a cordial  welcome.  We  had  rooms  assigned 
to  us  over  the  company's  store,  a long  stone  building  where 
all  sorts  of  things  were  sold,  provisions,  clothing,  tools,  etc., 
many  of  the  miners  taking  their  pay  in  goods  instead  of 
money.  A second  story  of  wood  had  been  added  to  this 
building,  also  a large  wooden  veranda  its  entire  length. 
In  this  part  of  the  building  were  rooms  for  the  superin- 
tendent and  his  staff,  including  the  sitting-room  where  we 
gathered  and  had  our  Scotch  and  soda.  There  were  eight 
of  us  altogether,  a Mexican  friend  of  Smith's  having  ar- 
rived. 

The  mining  property  formed  quite  a little  village  itself. 
In  addition  to  the  building  already  mentioned,  there  was 
a large,  old-fashioned  stone  house,  used  as  kitchen  and 
dining-room,  and  adjoining  this  were  various  huts  occupied 
by  the  menservants,  no  women  being  employed,  and  seme 
of  the  mining  hands.  Beyond  these  were  the  stamp-mill 
and  other  structures  connected  with  the  mine  works. 
The  mine  itself  was  about  a mile  away,  the  ore  being  brought 
down  on  the  backs  of  burros. 

San  Miguel  Peras  is  about  seven  thousand  feet  up,  so 
that  the  night  air  was  much  colder  than  at  Zavaleta.  At 
night  some  of  us  had  five  blankets,  and  even  then  found  it 
hard  to  keep  warm,  the  thin,  rarefied  air  being  so  pene- 
trating. I nearly  froze  before  the  morning. 

An  attempt  was  made  the  next  day  to  celebrate  Christ- 
mas in  good,  old-fashioned  English  style.  A yule  log  drawn 
by  two  burros  was  dragged  into  the  big  stone-paved  dining- 
room, where  it  soon  blazed  in  the  open  fireplace.  The 


CnBISTMAS  AT  LOS  REYES 


291 


weather  was  fine  and  warm,  although  it  had  been  so  un- 
pleasantly cold  at  night. 

After  breakfast  a turkey  that  had  been  fattening  for 
weeks  was  taken  to  a level  piece  of  ground  near  the  mine 
and  put  in  a box  with  its  head  protruding.  Each  man  then 
took  a shot  at  it  with  a rifle,  until  one  of  our  number  man- 
aged to  hit  it.  The  bird  was  then  carried  off  by  Tom,  the 
Chinese  cook,  to  serve  as  the  piece  de  resistance  of  our 
Christmas  dinner. 

Later  on,  we  went  to  an  enclosed  field  where  sports  were 
to  take  place  during  the  day.  The  fence-posts  were  gayly 
decorated  with  Mexican,  English  and  American  flags. 
In  a tent  near  by  was  placed  a Victor  talking-machine,  and 
there  it  ground  out  Spanish  and  American  songs  and  music 
all  day  long  for  the  edification  of  a large  crowd  of  peons  and 
peonesses.  When  the  talking-machine  was  first  started. 
Smith  remarked  to  his  assistant,  who  was  managing  it: 
‘^Give  them  La  Paloma  and  plenty  of  other  Spanish  music ; 
thaCs  the  sort  of  thing  they  appreciate.’^  But  he  soon 
realized  that  the  musical  taste  of  the  modern  Mexican 
Indian  has  suffered  from  the  American  invasion;  for  a 
peon  came  up,  sombrero  in  hand,  and  addressing  him,  said : 
‘^Senor,  la  gente  prefiere  ^rag-time’  Americano;  no  mas 
musica  Espanola”  (Sir,  the  people  all  want  American  ‘^rag- 
time” (he  pronounced  it  “rahg  teem”);  no  more  Spanish 
music). 

In  the  field  some  of  the  young  men  of  the  village  were 
solemnly  playing  pelota  (the  national  ball  game  of  Mexico), 
empty  gourds  having  been  fashioned  into  catchers  for  the 
ball  and  tied  to  their  arms.  Quite  a crowd  of  natives  had 
gathered  in  the  field,  and  the  padre,  a good-looking  Mexican 
priest,  came  down  to  give  ecclesiastical  approval  to  the 
festivities.  The  Presidente,  or  Lord  Mayor  of  San  Miguel 
Peras,  was  absent,  however,  having  had,  it  appeared,  some 


292 


MEXICO 


dispute  with  the  mining  people,  and  to  show  his  displeasure 
had  kept  away.  I told  Don  Ignacio  that  I was  very  much 
disappointed,  as  I wished  very  much  to  see  what  a Mexican 
lord  mayor  looked  like.  “Ye  ha  vena  missed  ower  much,  I^m 
thinking,^ ^ replied  the  Don.  “ Ye  see  yon  disreputable-look- 
ing Indian  squatting  by  the  fence.  Well,  he  was  the  pres- 
ent Presidente^s  predecessor,  so  ye  can  get  a vera  guid  idea 
of  what  a village  Presidente  is  like.^^  The  old  gentleman  in 
question  wore  the  usual  white  cotton  suit,  red  blanket 
and  straw  sombrero,  and  I rather  think  that  he  was  bare- 
footed. Don  Ignacio  further  told  me  that  the  alcalde  or 
magistrate  of  the  village  had  been  chosen  because  he  was 
the  only  man  in  the  place  who  could  read  and  write ! He 
was  therefore  regarded  as  a gente  de  razon  or  reasoning 
man,  literally  “one  who  has  a mind.^^  It  is  in  this  humble 
way  that  the  peon  refers  to  any  man  who  has  an  infusion 
of  white  blood  or  is  possessed  of  superior  knowledge. 

The  natives  squatted  about  the  field  and  swarmed  around 
the  talking-machine,  the  boys  and  girls  seeming  to  be  much 
more  interested  in  this  than  in  the  games.  Later  on, 
some  Indian  women  came  down  with  baskets  of  fruit  and 
dulces  to  sell,  so  that  the  place  took  on  quite  a public-holi- 
day appearance.  During  the  morning  we  had  football  and 
cricket,  the  competing  teams  being  composed  of  swarthy, 
barefooted  Indians. 

Later  in  the  day  there  were  a number  of  sports,  such  as 
blindfold  and  obstacle  races,  a burro  race  and  finally  the 
great  concluding  spectacle  — a chase  for  a greased  pig. 
When  the  pig  was  turned  loose,  a host  of  men  and  boys 
gave  chase,  the  squeaking  animal  scurrying  amongst  the 
spectators,  knocking  down  some  of  them;  then  it  turned 
and  fled  back  to  the  field  again,  where  three  peons  who 
headed  the  pursuit  fell  in  a heap  on  top  of  it,  catching  it 
in  their  blankets.  This,  of  course,  was  not  according  to 


CBBISTMAS  AT  LOS  BETES 


293 


the  rules  of  the  sport  as  played  in  England.  Each  peon 
insisted  that  he  alone  had  caught  the  pig,  and  each  was 
determined  to  have  it.  Two  of  them  drew  ugly  looking 
knives  and  swore  by  all  the  saints  that  they  would  defend 
their  rights.  Bloodshed  seemed  impending,  when  Smith 
plunged  into  the  melee,  and  vowed  that  none  of  them  should 
have  the  pig,  as  they  had  not  played  fair.  To  prevent 
hostilities  he  compromised  matters  by  offering  each  man 
two  dollars.  The  pig,  the  innocent  cause  of  the  whole 
disturbance,  was  then  taken  back  to  its  pen.  After  some 
argument,  the  peons  came  to  terms  and  peace  was  restored. 

We  sat  round  the  long  table  in  the  stone-paved  dining- 
room that  evening  and  ate  our  Christmas  dinner,  warmed 
by  the  welcome  blaze  of  the  yule  log.  There  was  roast 
turkey,  Christmas  pudding,  mince  pie  and  numerous  other 
good  things,  and  some  excellent  wine.  Afterwards  we 
adjourned  to  the  veranda  where  a large  company  of  peons 
and  their  wives  and  young  men  and  maidens  had  assembled 
for  a dance. 

The  festivities  were  opened  with  a dance  called  the 
Danza  de  Sombrero.  A sombrero  being  placed  on  the  floor, 
a girl  and  boy  danced  round  it,  in  and  out,  drawing  near 
and  gliding  away  without  touching  it.  Then  there  was  the 
bottle  dance,  a young  Indian  deftly  balancing  a wine-bottle 
on  his  head  as  he  danced  with  his  dark-skinned  partner. 
The  music  was  furnished  by  three  natives  playing  queer  old 
mandolins.  Then  followed  dancing  by  the  entire  company 
to  the  music  of  the  talking-machine,  alternating  with  that 
of  the  mandolins.  This  dancing  was  interminable  and 
monotonous,  both  men  and  women  moving  round  with 
expressionless  faces,  their  whole  demeanor  melancholy  and 
funereal.  But  they  seemed  to  enjoy  it  in  their  solemn 
way  and  kept  up  their  gloomy  revels  until  long  after  mid- 
night. 


29i 


MEXICO 


The  air  was  rather  chilly  outside,  so  after  watching  the 
dancing  for  a time  we  adjourned  to  the  sitting-room  to  play 
cards.  Later  on  I went  on  the  veranda  to  have  another 
look  at  the  peon  festivity,  and  to  avoid  catching  cold 
swathed  myself  in  a red  blanket  and  put  on  a sombrero. 
An  Indian  seated  near  me  apparently  thought  that  I was 
one  of  his  own  race  and  spoke  to  me  in  his  native  tongue ; 
but  one  of  his  companions,  glancing  at  me,  interrupted  him. 
‘^No  es  Indio,’’  he  remarked;  ‘^es  un  sehor;  un  gente  de 
razon.”  (He  is  no  Indian;  he’s  a gentleman;  one  who  can 
reason.)  I felt  very  much  complimented.  My  swarthy 
friend  spoke  in  Spanish,  I presume,  that  I might  see  that 
he,  too,  had  some  pretensions  to  being  a gente  de  razon. 

During  my  stay  at  the  Los  Reyes  mine  I examined  some 
of  the  workings,  which  are  very  extensive.  In  some  parts 
of  them  there  are  traces  of  excavations  made  by  the  abo- 
riginal miners  in  prehistoric  times,  and  also  those  of  Spanish 
gold-seekers.  Spaniards  mined  in  the  Penoles  district 
for  over  a hundred  years,  and  were  followed  by  the  Mexi- 
cans and  lastly  by  the  Americans.  The  earher  mining 
operations,  however,  were  conducted  in  a very  superficial 
manner,  and  it  is  only  within  recent  years  that  modern 
methods  have  been  introduced.  Large  quantities  of  pay- 
ing ore  are  now  taken  from  the  Los  Reyes  mine ; some  of 
it  is  wonderfully  rich,  and  I was  shown  several  specimens  in 
which  almost  virgin  gold  was  embedded  in  the  glittering 
quartz. 

Our  festivities  at  Los  Reyes  ended  with  Christmas  night. 
At  eight  o’clock  the  next  morning  we  mounted  our  horses, 
bade  farewell  to  our  hosts  and  rode  back  over  the  moun- 
tains to  Zavaleta.  After  resting  there  for  a day  or  two, 
I returned  to  Oaxaca. 

During  my  absence  large  numbers  of  American  mining 
men  and  others  had  come  into  the  town  from  the  country 


CHRISTMAS  AT  LOS  REYES 


295 


districts  to  spend  Christmas.  My  hotel  was  quite  well 
filled.  Among  the  newcomers  were  various  “men  with 
schemes/'  with  some  of  whom  I formed  a speaking  acquaint- 
ance. They  had  much  to  tell  me  of  the  enormous  deposits 
of  gold  and  silver  which  were  tucked  away  in  remote  corners 
of  the  Sierras,  the  whereabouts  of  which  had  been  revealed 
to  them  alone.  This  mineral  wealth  simply  needed  removal, 
but  mining  unfortunately  requires  some  money,  and  my 
friends  with  the  schemes  were  short  of  cash.  With  true 
generosity,  however,  they  were  ready  and  willing  to  share 
their  prospective  millions  with  any  lucky  mortal  who  would 
back  them  to  the  extent  of  a few  thousand  American  dollars. 

Cynical,  sneering  people  have  sometimes  been  heard  to 
suggest  that  the  man  with  the  scheme  is  not  a philan- 
thropist, but  a shrewd  individual,  keenly  alive  to  the  in- 
terests of  number  one,  who  has  some  worthless  piece  of 
property  and  is  ready  to  unload  it  on  some  guileless  victim. 
This  may  be  true,  but  there  are  cases  when  the  man  with 
the  scheme  is  a well-meaning  person  who  is  sometimes  vic- 
timized by  a still  shrewder  schemer.  Of  this  I had  actual 
demonstration  during  my  stay  in  Oaxaca.  At  the  Ameri- 
can Club  I was  one  day  buttonholed  by  a Greek  who,  having 
been  born  in  Wales,  called  himself  a Welshman.  He  told 
me  that  he  had  struck  some  wonderfully  rich  silver  ore 
about  twenty-five  miles  out  in  the  Sierras  and  that  the  assay 
showed  I know  not  how  many  thousands  of  dollars  per  ton. 
On  the  strength  of  a wonderful  report  drawn  up  by  a firm 
of  assay ers  who  were  interested  in  the  property,  he  had  paid 
down  quite  a sum  to  secure  an  option  on  it. 

One  evening  my  friend,  the  silver  king,  insisted  upon  my 
going  to  his  quarters  to  look  at  the  ore  and  the  diagram 
of  the  mine.  A Welsh  mining  engineer  with  whom  I had 
become  acquainted  at  the  club  was  with  me,  and  he  was 
also  invited.  We  went  and  looked  at  the  ore,  which  seemed 


296 


MEXICO 


to  contain  some  kind  of  mineral,  and  also  examined  the 
blue-prints  of  the  mine  workings.  The  engineer,  who  was 
a practical  mining  man,  studied  the  report  closely  and  made 
some  notes.  My  Greek  Welshman,  who  I could  see  was 
an  unpractical,  visionary  sort  of  person,  was  wild  with 
excitement,  talking  incessantly  of  the  millions  that  he  ex- 
pected to  make.  The  next  day  I met  my  friend  the  en- 
gineer and  he  said : I have  been  making  an  estimate  from 

^s  own  report,  and  I find  that  the  poor  fellow  will  ac- 
tually lose  ten  dollars  on  every  ton  of  ore  that  he  takes 
from  the  mine,  the  percentage  of  mineral  being  insufficient 
to  even  cover  the  cost  of  working  it.  His  assayer’s  report 
is  absolute  rubbish. He  added  that  many  of  the  assay ers 
in  Mexico  were  grossly  incompetent,  and  for  this  and  occa- 
sionally for  other  reasons  every  mine  that  they  reported 
on  was,  according  to  their  estimates,  certain  to  make  its 
owner  a multi-millionaire. 

There  has  been,  for  some  years,  quite  a boom  in  mining 
around  Oaxaca,  and  some  Americans  have  made  large 
fortunes.  Each  year  a larger  number  of  prospectors  are 
at  work  seeking  new  deposits,  and  I heard  many  amazing 
stories  of  finds  of  rich  ores.  One  mine-owner  told  me  that 
an  Indian  had  brought  him  some  specimens  which  assayed 
nearly  a thousand  dollars  per  ton,  and  offered  for  a small 
sum  to  tell  him  where  the  deposit  could  be  found.  ‘^Of 
course,’’  he  added,  ‘Hhis  piece  of  ore  may  have  been  excep- 
tionally rich,  but  if  the  rest  only  pans  out  a tenth  part  as 
well,  I shall  soon  be  a millionaire.”  Stories  like  this  are 
responsible  for  the  increasing  number  of  prospectors  who 
prowl  about  Mexico,  spending  their  days  in  searching  for 
the  gold  or  silver  which  is  to  make  them  wealthy.  A few 
succeed;  but  the  majority,  for  a number  of  reasons,  are 
doomed  to  failure. 

Some  of  the  stories  of  sudden  wealth  won  by  prospectors 


CHRISTMAS  AT  LOS  REYHS 


297 


are  marvellous.  I heard  of  an  American  who  spent  several 
years  and  all  his  money  in  searching  for  silver  near  Oaxaca, 
at  last  securing  a claim  which  seemed  to  promise  paying 
ore.  He  invested  his  last  few  dollars  in  dynamite  and  blew 
up  the  rocks  in  sheer  desperation.  The  blast  revealed  a 
wonderfully  rich  vein,  and  he  eventually  sold  the  property 
for  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

There  are  many  other  mines  than  those  of  silver  and  gold 
in  the  vicinity  of  Oaxaca,  for  some  of  them,  notably  in  the 
Ocotlan  and  Taviche  districts,  are  rich  in  copper  and  lead. 
Americans,  as  already  retnarked,  have  been  most  keen  in 
getting  control  of  these  properties,  and  during  the  past  few 
years  have  invested  fully  ten  million  dollars  in  mines  and 
smelting  plants. 

When  I was  not  occupied  in  listening  to  stories  of  mineral 
wealth  at  the  club,  I found  a great  deal  of  amusement  at 
night  in  strolling  about  the  plaza  and  watching  a line  of 
booths  where  all  kinds  of  gambling  games  were  in  progress. 
These  booths  are  set  up  in  the  plazas  of  most  Mexican 
towns  during  the  Christmas  season,  gambling  of  any  sort 
being  dear  to  the  Mexican  heart. 

In  Oaxaca  the  most  popular  game,  patronized  by  the 
richer  plungers,  was  played  on  a large  table  divided  into 
squares  containing  colored  pictures  of  animals,  such  as  a 
horse,  a donkey,  tiger,  lion,  serpent,  and  over  each  was  a 
certain  number.  Players  bought  chips  or  counters  for  ten 
cents  each  and  staked  them  on  whichever  of  the  animals 
they  selected.  A man  at  the  table  turned  a wheel  contain- 
ing as  many  balls  as  there  were  animals,  and  each  bearing 
a number  corresponding  to  that  marked  on  the  animal. 
Whichever  ball  eventually  dropped  out  of  the  wheel  was  the 
winning  number.  This  table  was  usually  surrounded  by 
a large  crowd  of  both  sexes.  When  the  wheel  was  turned 
and  the  winning  number  dropped  out,  the  dealer  would 


298 


MEXICO 


shout,  Burro, ^^Tigre’^  or  ^^Elephante,’^  as  the  case  might 
be.  A certain  number  of  the  losing  counters  were  sub- 
tracted by  the  proprietor  as  his  percentage  and  the  remain- 
der, divided  among  the  winners,  were  exchangeable  for 
money  at  their  face  value.  There  were  also  tables  for  faro, 
monte  (the three-card  game), roulette,  etc.,  the  betting  being 
for  any  amount  from  a centavo  to  a dollar.  There  were 
even  booths  where  little  boys  and  girls  sat  gambling  away 
their  pennies  at  a simple  sort  of  game  with  picture-cards,  on 
which  were  rude  pictures  of  a cow,  a boy,  a man  or  a horse. 

In  these  street  festivities  many  Americans  were  showing 
keen  interest,  especially  those  who  had  come  in  from  the 
mines  for  the  fiesta  week.  Groups  of  them  usually  stood 
around  the  gambling  booths.  There  is  quite  a large  Amer- 
ican colony  in  Oaxaca,  and  one  of  the  districts  where  most 
of  the  Americans  have  their  homes  is  becoming  gradually 
Americanized.  The  colony  has  built  two  churches,  and  I 
believe  that  an  American  school  has  also  been  established. 
Most  of  the  American  women  whose  husbands  are  engaged 
in  mining  prefer  to  live  in  the  town,  where  they  can  have 
some  recreation,  meet  other  Americans  and  escape  the  dis- 
comforts of  the  mining  camps.  There  are  quite  a number 
of  American  children  in  Oaxaca,  and  these  Yankee  boys 
and  girls  astonish  the  Mexicans  by  their  free  and  indepen- 
dent ways. 

In  Oaxaca  the  home  life  of  the  Mexicans  can  be  studied 
to  even  better  advantage  than  in  the  capital,  and  this  is 
especially  true  of  the  shopping  arrangements.  The  grocers^ 
stores,  for  instance,  are  extremely  interesting;  they  have 
a strange,  old-world  appearance,  and  are  conducted  in  a 
manner  which  gives  a very  good  insight  into  the  domestic 
customs  of  the  people. 

Almost  every  large  grocery  store  in  Mexico  is  owned  by 
Spaniards,  just  as  many  dry-goods  establishments  are  owned 


CHRISTMAS  AT  LOS  REYES 


299 


by  Frenchmen,  and  hardware  stores  by  Germans,  and  all 
of  them  are  alike.  Behind  an  unpolished  zinc  counter  are 
arranged  the  shelves  and  pyramids  of  dust-covered  bottles 
of  liquor.  At  one  side  is  a small  bar-room.  The  salesmen 
are  always  Spanish  or  Mexican  youths  in  their  shirt-sleeves, 
with  grimy  hands,  and  they  slam  each  piece  of  silver  on 
the  counter  to  test  its  metal  with  an  almost  vindictive 
motion.  A big  business  is  done  each  day,  although  it 
takes  a hundred  sales  to  aggregate  a dollar ; for,  as  already 
mentioned,  everything  in  Mexico  is  bought  by  the  day's 
supply  or  even  for  one  meal.  At  a grocer's  store  you  can 
buy  a cent's  worth  of  sugar,  tea  or  coffee.  The  grocer  will 
not  permit  a customer  with  one  cent  to  escape,  and  he  will 
break  a package  of  cigarettes  to  sell  a pennyworth  with  the 
same  apparent  alacrity  as  he  pours  out  a centavo  glass  of 
Mexican  fire-water.  When  not  engaged  in  waiting  on  cus- 
tomers, the  shop  hands  employ  their  time  weighing  out 
small  one-  and  two-cent  packages  of  various  classes  of  staple 
articles,  deftly  doubling  and  fastening  the  old  newspaper 
wrapper  without  a sign  of  a string.  When  the  rush  comes, 
just  before  the  meal  hours,  these  boys  hop  from  one  side 
of  the  store  to  the  other,  grabbing  the  ready-made  pack- 
ages with  the  greatest  swiftness,  supplying  the  many  wants 
of  the  cooks  in  short  order. 

Oaxaca  saw  the  old  year  out  in  a very  noisy  fashion. 
At  half-past  eleven,  on  the  night  of  December  31,  a mili- 
tary band  paraded  the  streets,  playing  stirring  music,  and 
shortly  before  midnight  stationed  itself  in  the  plaza  and 
played  the  Mexican  National  Anthem.  Then  all  the  church 
bells  in  the  city  commenced  banging  and  clanging,  excited 
citizens  leaned  from  their  windows  and  fired  off  rifles  and 
pistols  or  exploded  fireworks  till  the  din  was  deafening. 
With  this  uproar  the  new  year  was  ushered  in. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


PREHISTORIC  MEXICO 

The  more  one  travels  in  Mexico  the  more  does  one  be- 
come impressed  with  the  fact  that  it  is  a country  of  old 
races  of  ancient  civilizations  and  a wonderful  past.  Scat- 
tered all  over  the  land  are  the  ruins  of  cities,  palaces, 
temples  and  fortresses,  the  architecture  and  extent  of  which 
are  amazing  to  even  the  present  age.  Of  their  builders 
little  or  nothing  is  known.  They  may  have  lived  thou- 
sands of  years  ago  and  may  even  have  been  contemporary 
with  the  people  of  Nineveh. 

The  traces  of  these  ancient  races  are  especially  numerous 
in  the  Valley  of  Oaxaca,  where  the  plains  and  hills  abound 
in  the  remains  of  their  wonderful  works.  Notable  among 
these  are  the  ruins  on  the  summit  of  Monte  Alban,  about 
five  miles  from  Oaxaca.  Monte  Alban  and  other  mountains 
near  Oaxaca  rise  abruptly  from  the  plain  like  huge  pyramids 
to  a height  of  four  thousand  feet  or  more.  On  most  of 
them  there  are  traces  of  prehistoric  dwellings  or  temples. 
Some  scientific  men  have  a theory  that  the  plain  in  the 
early  days  of  the  world  was  under  water,  and  that  the  moun- 
tains were  then  islands  inhabited  by  various  semi-civilized 
tribes. 

Early  in  January,  in  company  with  an  American  friend, 
I went  out  to  Monte  Alban,  the  foot  of  which  we  reached 
after  a hot  and  dusty  ride.  Here  we  took  a rough,  winding 
trail  which  led  to  the  summit,  and  so  steep  that  our  panting 
horses  had  to  make  frequent  stops  to  get  their  breath.  Half- 

300 


PREHISTORIC  MEXICO 


301 


way  up  the  mountain  side  we  noticed  what  seemed  to 
be  the  remains  of  former  fortress  walls  almost  completely 
buried  in  the  earth. 

On  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  many  acres  in  extent, 
were  a number  of  mounds  of  earth  about  twenty-five  feet 
high,  with  steep  sides.  In  all  directions  were  great  masses 
of  stones  which  had  formed  temples  or  forts,  and  below 
some  of  these  were  narrow  subterranean  passages  and  im- 
mense sculptured  blocks.  One  of  these  mounds  had  been 
excavated,  revealing  a massively  constructed  court  nine 
hundred  feet  long  and  two  hundred  feet  wide.  It  is  of 
rectangular  shape,  is  built  of  huge  square  stones  and  faces 
the  west.  During  the  excavations  at  this  point  some  neck- 
laces of  agate,  fragments  of  worked  obsidian  (volcanic  glass) 
and  golden  ornaments  of  fine  workmanship  were  found. 

A peon  and  his  boy,  who  joined  us  while  we  were  examin- 
ing the  ruins,  volunteered  to  show  us  the  sights.  They  took 
us  to  another  mound  which  had,  by  the  law  which  has 
recently  come  into  force,  been  partly  excavated  by  the 
government  archgeologists,  who  alone  are  permitted  to  ex- 
plore any  of  the  Mexican  ruins.  Their  investigations  had 
disclosed  four  large,  rudely  sculptured  stone  figures  in  bas 
relief  of  more  than  life  size,  seated  in  a row  like  the  figures 
found  in  Egyptian  temples.  Some  of  them  resemble 
the  Aztec  figures  in  the  National  Museum  of  Mexico,  but 
one  has  pronounced  Mongolian  features  and  what  looks 
like  a Chinaman’s  pigtail.  “Who  are  these  fellows?”  my 
companion  asked  the  peon.  Pointing  to  them,  one  after 
another,  he  replied,  “San  Miguel,  San  Jose,  San  Pedro 'and 
King  Montezuma,”  the  last  being  the  figure  with  the  pig- 
tail. That  is  how  the  peon  had  solved  the  problem  which 
perplexes  scientific  men. 

All  theories  as  to  the  age  of  these  ruins  are  mere  guess- 
work. Some  archgeologists  declare  them  to  be  thousands 


302 


MEXICO 


of  years  old  — perhaps  older  than  Nineveh.  Nobody 
knows.  They  are  traditionally  stated  to  have  existed 
when  the  Aztecs  came  to  Mexico ; but  Aztec  traditions  are 
quite  untrustworthy. 

Guided  by  our  peon,  we  crawled  through  an  opening  in 
one  of  the  mounds.  The  entrance  was  built  in  a perfect 
square,  the  builders  of  Alban  not  knowing  anything  of  the 
building  of  arches  with  keystones.  In  the  cavernous  in- 
terior of  the  mound,  lined  with  solid  square  stones,  we  dis- 
turbed a number  of  bats  which  came  whizzing  about  our 
heads  until  we  emerged  through  another  square  door  at  the 
other  side. 

Nearly  all  the  ruins  on  Monte  Alban  are  covered  with 
mounds  of  earth  which  has  collected  and  covered  them  in 
the  course  of  ages.  From  their  position  it  is  surmised  that 
they  formed  part  of  an  ancient  stronghold  or  place  of  refuge 
for  the  ancient  inhabitants  in  time  of  war.  The  fact  that 
a number  of  stone  idols  have  been  found  among  the  ruins 
seems  also  to  prove  that  some  of  the  structures  were  used 
as  temples. 

Still  more  wonderful  in  size,  extent  and  architecture 
are  the  famous  ruins  of  Mitla,  a great  city  of  prehistoric 
times  and  now  the  site  of  a small  Indian  village.  The  jour- 
ney of  twenty-five  miles  from  Oaxaca  to  Mitla  is  not  with- 
out its  discomforts  and,  like  many  other  Mexican  sight-see- 
ing trips,  requires  a great  deal  of  time,  patience  and  physical 
endurance.  The  first  stage  of  the  journey  is  generally 
accomplished  in  a little  street-car  drawn  by  two  mules, 
which  runs  to  the  village  of  Tula,  six  miles  distant ; and  it 
was  in  this  queer  little  conveyance  that  I started  off  on 
my  expedition  to  Mitla  early  one  morning. 

Leaving  the  cobble-paved  streets  of  Oaxaca,  the  car 
went  along  a country  road  between  fields  of  sugar-cane  and 
the  ubiquitous  maguey.  Then  it  crossed  a treeless,  sun- 


PBEHISTORIC  MEXICO 


308 


baked  plain  which  extends  to  the  mountains,  relieved  only 
by  an  occasional  green,  irrigated  field.  In  the  midst  of  this 
plain  is  situated  the  little  village  of  Tula,  a place  of  adobe 
huts,  cactus  hedges  and  Indians.  Rising  from  among  the 
rather  squalid  dwellings  are  the  towers  of  a large,  ancient 
church,  brightly  tinted  and  picturesque,  embowered  in  a 
mass  of  tropical  verdure. 

In  the  churchyard,  which  is  unusually  well  kept,  stands 
the  famous  ‘‘big  tree  of  Tula,’^  one  of  the  tree-monarchs 
of  the  world.  It  is  an  ahuetl  or  species  of  cypress,  and  its 
age  is  unknown,  but  when  Cortes  came  with  his  army  and 
rested  under  it,  the  natives  of  the  district  had  traditions 
that  it  had  stood  there  when  their  forefathers  came  to  the 
Valley  of  Oaxaca.  It  may  have  given  shade  to  the  builders 
of  Mitla.  Truly  impressive  in  size  and  appearance  is  the 
“ big  tree.’’  Six  feet  from  the  ground  it  is  over  one  hundred 
and  fifty-four  feet  round  the  trunk,  and  twenty-eight  people 
with  outstretched  arms  touching  each  other’s  finger-tips 
can  barely  complete  the  circuit.  The  trunk  is  a group  of 
compact  sections  something  fike  that  of  the  cottonwood 
trees,  and  towers  up  to  a great  height.  Standing 
under  the  sombre,  wide-spreading  foliage,  one  gains  an 
impression  of  awe  and  solemnity,  a feeling  such  as  might 
be  experienced  in  the  dim  cloisters  of  some  ancient  ca- 
thedral. On  one  side  of  this  giant  of  the  forest  is  a tablet 
with  an  inscription  by  Humboldt,  the  German  traveller 
and  scientist,  who  visited  Tula  and  Mitla  in  1806.  It  has 
been  there  so  long  that  the  bark  has  grown  over  it,  oblit- 
erating part  of  the  inscription. 

A light  American  buggy,  drawn  by  two  mules,  and  driven 
by  a taciturn  peon,  took  me  from  Tula  to  Mitla,  a distance 
of  some  twenty  miles.  Our  road  led  over  the  plain,  dotted 
here  and  there  with  Indian  pueblos  and  haciendas;  then 
on  to  the  quaint  old  town  of  Tlacolula,  with  its  cactus- 


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hedged  lanes,  and  pretty  little  plaza,  its  beautiful  domed 
church,  picturesque  old  inn  and  casa  municipal.  A short 
stop  was  made  here,  and  it  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  see 
the  interior  of  the  parish  church,  which  is  famous  for  its 
altar,  the  front  of  which  is  covered  with  plates  of  solid  silver, 
ornamented  with  elaborate  repousse  work ; the  altar  cande- 
labra, which  are  over  five  feet  high,  and  the  exquisite  lamps 
are  also  of  silver. 

On  leaving  Tlacolula  we  entered  a broad  valley  where 
hundreds  of  huge  boulders,  weighing  thousands  of  tons,  were 
scattered  about;  all  around  was  an  arid,  rocky  country. 
A few  miles  of  this,  across  the  wide,  rocky  bed  of  a stream, 
then  dried  to  a brooklet,  but  a large  river  in  the  rainy 
season,  led  to  our  journey ^s  end  at  the  hospitable  hacienda 
of  Don  Felix  Quero. 

The  owner  of  a typical  Mexican  hacienda,  Don  Felix 
provides  accommodation  for  travellers  who  visit  Mitla ; and 
connected  with  his  house  is  the  general  store  of  the  district, 
of  which  he  is  sole  proprietor.  Here  the  Indians  come  to 
trade  for  provisions  and  the  luxuries  of  life  and  spend  their 
meagre  centavos.  Don  Felix  and  his  swarthy  son  are  kept 
busy  every  evening  selling  such  things  as  a centavo’s  worth 
of  coffee  or  two  centavos’  worth  of  cigarettes  and  mescal, 
or  half  a cent’s  worth  of  lard,  sugar,  salt  or  matches. 
Some  of  the  wealthier  Indians  — the  peon  millionaires  — 
will  actually  buy  five  or  ten  cents’  worth  of  aguardiente 
(fire-water)  or  such  an  almost  unheard-of  luxury  as  a five- 
cent  cigar. 

The  next  morning,  in  sunshine  which  was  positively 
grilling,  I went  out  to  see  the  ruins,  which  are  but  a short 
distance  from  the  hacienda.  Passing  through  the  village, 
with  its  thatched  huts  almost  hidden  behind  hedges  of  tall 
cactus,  a few  minutes’  walk  along  the  dusty  road  brought 
me  to  the  wonderful  structures  of  prehistoric  Mexico. 


PREHISTORIC  MEXICO 


305 


Extending  for  some  distance  were  mounds  of  earth,  masses 
of  fallen  masonry,  huge  blocks  and  piles  of  debris ; in  the 
midst  of  all  this  was  a series  of  long,  low  buildings  of  mas- 
sive stone  bearing  a striking  resemblance  to  the  temples 
of  ancient  Egypt.  Some  were  almost  demolished;  others 
were  in  a fairly  good  state  of  preservation. 

The  Mitla  ruins  consist  of  four  distinct  groups  facing 
the  four  points  of  the  compass,  and  which  were  originally 
of  the  same  general  style,  the  north  group  being  the  best 
preserved.  In  both  the  north  and  south  groups  are  four- 
walled  courts  built  round  a central  patio  and  also  having 
their  lines  agreeing  with  the  compass  points.  Along  the 
entire  front  of  each  of  these  buildings  is  a broad,  stone-paved 
terrace  broken  by  wide  flights  of  steps  which  lead  to  square 
Egyptian  doorways.  But  in  marked  contrast  to  the  struc- 
tures of  early  Egypt  the  outer  walls  of  the  edifices  at  Mitla 
are  composed  of  oblong  panels  decorated  with  typical 
Grecques  and  arabesques,  about  fifteen  geometrical  designs 
being  employed.  When  viewed  at  a distance,  these  seem 
to  be  carved  in  the  stonework;  but  a closer  inspection 
reveals  that  the  effect  has  been  produced  by  thousands  of 
small  pieces  of  stone  let  into  the  face  of  the  building  and 
fitted  together  so  accurately  that  no  cement  was  required. 
In  some  cases  the  lower  parts  of  the  walls  are  faced  with 
rows  of  stones  so  finely  polished  that  they  have  the  ap- 
pearance of  having  been  made  in  a mould. 

Wonderfully  impressive  is  the  simple  dignity  of  these 
prehistoric  structures,  the  architecture  and  construction 
of  which  have  won  the  admiration  of  every  archseologist 
who  has  visited  Mitla.  ^^The  walls,”  says  an  American 
technical  writer,  present  the  appearance  of  preserving  the 
most  absolutely  pure  lines,  and  one  is  filled  with  astonish- 
ment when  it  is  considered  what  a number  of  centuries 
have  passed  since  these  pretentious  palaces  or  temples  were 


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built.  The  excellent  workmanship  shown  in  these  struc- 
tures is  such  that,  with  the  remarkable  precision  displayed 
in  the  cutting  of  the  stones  and  their  elaborate  ornamenta- 
tion, they  must  in  their  prime  have  presented  a wonderful 
aspect.’’ 

One  of  the  most  impressive  features  of  the  ruins  is  the 
Hall  of  Monoliths,  a great  corridor  extending  through  the 
entire  length  of  the  north  court,  a vast  structure  which 
covers  eight  thousand  square  feet.  Standing  in  a row  in 
the  centre  of  this  hall  are  six  massive  monolithic  columns, 
each  over  eleven  feet  high  and  about  eight  feet  round,  each 
of  them  quite  plain  and  without  any  pedestal  or  capital. 
From  here  a dark  passage  leads  into  a second  hall  sur- 
rounded by  four  smaller  rooms,  one  of  which,  known  as 
the  Audience  Chamber,  is  beautifully  decorated  in  stone 
mosaic  and  is  in  almost  perfect  condition.  In  each  of  these 
rooms  are  square  niches  faced  with  heavy  stone,  somewhat 
of  the  piscina  type,  and  believed  to  have  been  shrines  in 
which  were  placed  small  figures  of  gods.  In  one  of  the 
rooms,  called  the  Hall  of  Mosaics,  which  has  inlaid  orna- 
mentation of  exquisite  design,  the  walls  in  some  places  show 
signs  of  having  been  covered  with  a hard  plaster  and  richly 
colored,  some  traces  of  dark  red  paint  still  remaining. 

The  ancient  builders  not  only  used  stone  but  bricks 
composed  of  adobe  and  pulverized  rock,  possessing  wonder- 
ful durability.  All  the  structures  are  decorated  in  the 
same  intricate  manner ; all  are  without  windows ; and  each 
is  entered  by  three  large  square  doorways  side  by  side, 
the  lintels  being  formed  of  huge  monoliths  eighteen  feet 
long,  five  feet  wide  and  four  feet  high.  In  architecture  and 
general  appearance  the  ruins  of  Mitla  differ  entirely  from 
those  in  other  parts  of  Mexico,  and  are  also  distinct  in  being 
unadorned  by  any  human  or  animal  figures.  As  in  other 
^Icxican  ruins,  however,  there  are  no  arches;  for  the  archi- 


PREHISTORIC  MEXICO 


307 


tects  of  Mitla  had  not  reached  the  stage  of  arch  designing, 
and  were  therefore  obliged  to  avoid  curves. 

The  work  of  the  Mitla  builders  seems  amazing  when  it  is 
borne  in  mind  that  it  was  done  without  machinery  and  with 
the  crudest  implements ; for  the  only  tools  that  have  been 
found  on  the  spot  are  chisels  and  axes  of  untempered 
copper.  Under  these  circumstances  the  shaping  and  hoist- 
ing of  the  huge  blocks  into  position  and  the  fitting  of  the 
stone  mosaics  were  really  marvellous  achievements.  So 
wonderfully,  too,  were  these  huge  stones  put  together  that 
all  the  earthquakes  that  have  taken  place  in  Mexico  in  even 
historic  times  have  not  sufficed  to  move  them  from  their 
position. 

Not  far  from  the  Hall  of  Monoliths  is  a large,  dilapi- 
dated structure,  adjoining  which  is  a comparatively  modern 
church,  obviously  built  from  the  ancient  materials.  This 
ruin  was  once  the  largest  of  all,  and  has  been  estimated  as 
covering  a space  of  nearly  three  hundred  feet  in  length 
and  six  hundred  in  width.  The  enclosing  walls  were  six 
feet  thick.  One  portion  of  this  temple,  if  such  it  were, 
was  formerly  used  as  a stable,  its  beautiful  frescoed  walls 
being  whitewashed.  A few  faint  vestiges  of  the  decora- 
tions still  remain,  mostly  undecipherable  hieroglyphics  in 
conventional  life-forms,  apparently  painted  with  the  same 
red  pigment  as  is  noticeable  in  the  Audience  Chamber. 
These  are  the  only  inscriptions  at  Mitla. 

In  1902  an  entrance  which  had  been  blocked  up  was 
discovered  in  the  south  court,  which,  being  opened,  was 
found  to  lead  into  a subterranean  cruciform  chamber  some 
thirty  or  forty  feet  below  the  floor  of  the  main  building. 
This  crypt  has  the  same  style  of  decoration  as  in  the  upper 
chambers,  except  that  in  this  instance  the  Grecque  pattern, 
instead  of  being  formed  by  mosaic,  is  carved  in  the  solid 
stone.  This  cross-shaped  chamber  and  several  others  which 


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exist  at  Mitla  were  used  as  tombs,  and  in  each  instance  their 
entrances  face  the  west,  the  idea  of  the  ancient  people 
having  probably  been  that  the  souls  of  the  dead  journeyed 
to  the  regions  of  the  setting  sun.  In  some  of  the  tombs 
entire  skeletons  or  charred  bones  were  found,  also  stone  or 
clay  idols,  funereal  urns  which  had  contained  incense  and 
various  other  relics;  but  the  chamber  last  discovered  had 
evidently  been  rifled  of  its  contents  at  some  early  period. 

Until  recent  years  the  ruins  at  Mitla  were  treated  in 
much  the  same  way  as  were  many  old  English  castles  a few 
generations  ago.  Beautiful  structures  were  demolished  by 
vandal  hands  to  provide  building  material  for  the  modern 
village  of  Mitla,  and  some  of  the  stonework  was  even  carted 
into  the  City  of  Oaxaca.  The  Mexican  government  at 
last  took  charge  of  the  ruins  and  put  a stop  to  the  work  of 
destruction.  Government  archaeologists  are  now  engaged 
in  restoring  some  of  the  ancient  buildings  and  superintend- 
ing the  excavations  which  are  taking  place  in  their  vicinity. 

The  origin  of  the  great  structures  at  Mitla  is  shrouded 
in  mystery.  Nobody  knows  or  is  ever  likely  to  know  who 
the  builders  were  or  at  what  period  these  mighty  edifices 
were  raised.  Their  massive  walls  are  to-day  in  much  the 
same  condition  as  when  first  visited  by  the  Spaniards  in  the 
sixteenth  century ; the  Aztecs  at  that  time  could  tell  prac- 
tically nothing  concerning  the  ancient  builders.  The  re- 
semblance of  the  ruins  to  those  of  Egypt  has,  however, 
led  many  savants  to  believe  that  the  Western  world  was 
visited  centuries  before  its  discovery  by  Columbus.  Pres- 
cott has  declared  the  structures  to  be  ^Hhe  work  of  a people 
who  passed  away  under  the  assaults  of  barbarism  at  a 
period  prior  to  all  traditions,  leaving  no  name  or  trace  of 
their  existence  save  these  monuments  which  have  become 
the  riddle  of  later  generations.’^  According  to  some  au- 
thorities, the  builders  were  the  earliest  races  of  Mexico,  the 


PBEHISTOBIC  MEXICO 


309 


Nahuas  or  Toltecs,  and  the  age  of  the  ruins  has  been  vari- 
ously estimated  at  from  two  to  five  thousand  years.  The 
name  Mitla  is  said  to  be  a Mitlan-Nahuan  word  meaning 
^‘the  place  of  the  dead.’’ 

Several  recent  investigators  are  of  the  opinion,  however, 
that  the  structures  were  raised  at  a much  later  date  by  the 
Zapotecan  race,  from  whom  the  present  natives  of  the  coun- 
try, the  Zapotec  Indians,  are  descended.  The  Zapotecs, 
who  were  there  when  the  Spaniards  came,  have  always 
called  Mitla  in  their  dialect  Zyaboa,  meaning  ^Hhe  centre 
of  rest.”  They  certainly  have  much  the  same  type  of 
features  as  those  found  in  the  stone  figures  and  pottery 
which  are  unearthed  among  the  ruins,  but  there  the  resem- 
blance ends ; for  the  modern  Zapotecs  of  Oaxaca  are  typical 
Indian  peons,  while  the  ancient  builders  of  Mitla  had  evi- 
dently made  great  advances  in  the  arts  of  civilization. 

Fully  as  mysterious  as  the  identity  of  the  builders  is  the 
purport  of  the  structures  themselves.  Whether  they  were 
temples,  palaces  or  fortresses  is  never  likely  to  be  known 
with  any  degree  of  certainty.  The  general  opinion,  how- 
ever, is  that  they  were  temples,  and  this  gains  support 
from  the  fact  that  tombs  have  been  discovered  beneath 
several  of  the  buildings.  The  ruins  are  also  supposed  to 
mark  the  site  of  a great  city  of  prehistoric  times,  the  entire 
valley  being  strewn  with  the  remains  of  walls  and  columns. 
Idols  of  clay  and  jars  of  terra-cotta  are  found  everywhere, 
and  earthenware  drain-pipes  have  also  been  dug  up. 
There  is  every  evidence,  too,  that  the  now  arid  valley  once 
supported  an  immense  population. 

I spent  the  entire  day  in  the  midst  of  these  mighty  ruins, 
and  would  gladly  have  journeyed  twice  the  distance  from 
Mexico  City  to  see  them;  for  the  famous  Palace  of  the 
Alhambra,  with  all  its  glories,  is  scarcely  more  imposing. 
As  I stood  in  the  great  Hall  of  Monoliths  on  the  evening  of 


310 


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my  visit,  its  mysterious  walls  touched  by  the  rays  of  the 
setting  sun,  I re-created,  in  fancy,  the  great  structures.  I 
could  imagine  the  stately  march  of  princes  and  warriors 
through  the  long  corridors  or  the  wild  chants  of  priests 
engaged  in  their  sacred  rites.  What  a vista  of  the  days 
when  the  world  was  young,  mystic  primeval  times  when  — 
^^Wal,  IVe  seen  Mitla,  and  I’ll  admit  it’s  quite  a place; 
but  if  some  of  our  young  men  from  the  Tec’  couldn’t 
have  taught  them  Toltecs  a few  things,  then  I’ve  lost  my 
reckoning.” 

I turned  and  found  myself  confronted  by  an  elderly 
American  woman,  thin,  wiry  and  determined,  who  stood, 
umbrella  in  hand,  regarding  the  line  of  ancient  monoliths 
with  a defiant  air,  as  if  challenging  all  the  past  races  of 
Mitla  to  dispute  her  word. 

^ Wes,  sir,  I rather  guess  that  some  of  our  young  men  from 
the  Tec’  could  have  given  ’em  a few  wrinkles.” 

“What  is  the  Tec’  ?”  I ventured  to  ask. 

The  old  lady  gave  me  a withering  look  which  said  as 
plain  as  words,  “Well,  you’re  about  as  ignorant  as  a Toltec.” 
“Of  course  I mean  the  Technological  Institoot  of  Chi- 
cago,” she  replied.  “Why,  some  of  our  young  men  from 
that  institootion  are  simply  astonishing  the  world,  and 
if  they  couldn’t  turn  out  a better  column  than  that,  well, 
then  they  ain’t  got  no  business  a-getting  their  diplomas 
as  architects.”  Here  she  gave  the  offending  column  a re- 
sounding whack  with  her  umbrella,  as  if  to  show  her  dis- 
approval of  its  primitive  lines. 

“They  knew  how  to  build,  them  Toltecs  did,”  she  con- 
tinued, a little  more  leniently,  “but,  law  me,  the  world  has 
been  a-moving  since  their  time.  They  couldn’t  have  built 
a skyscraper  to  save  their  necks.  Why,  our  young  men 
learn  all  about  building  them  big  twenty-story  buildings, 
and  I reckon  them  Toltecs  would  just  open  their  eyes  if 


PBEHISTOEIC  MEXICO 


311 


they  could  see  some  of  'em/^  With  this  parting  shot  at 
the  past;  the  tourist  lady  disappeared  through  the  ancient 
doorway.  Alas,  poor  builders  of  Mitla,  how  little  did  you 
imagine  that  your  efforts  would  one  day  be  eclipsed  by  the 
young  men  from  the  Chicago  Tech 

On  returning  to  the  hacienda,  I found  that  the  old  lady 
had  just  arrived  with  her  son,  a gloomy,  morose  youth  who 
wore  spectacles,  and  was  probably  a graduate  of  the  famous 
institution.  I have  frequently  met  tourists  of  this  type 
in  my  wanderings.  None  of  them  seem  to  enjoy  travelling 
or  the  sights  that  they  see,  and  why  they  ever  travel  I have 
never  been  able  to  discover. 

After  viewing  the  wonders  of  ancient  Mitla,  it  seems  im- 
possible to  believe  that  the  Zapotec  Indians  now  inhabiting 
the  valley  are  in  any  way  related  to  the  builders  of  old  whose 
works  astonish  the  present  age.  Living  in  small  huts  of 
adobe,  the  men  follow  the  usual  peon  occupations  of  farm 
laboring,  and  the  herding  of  cattle,  sheep  and  goats;  the 
women  are  kept  busy  with  their  everlasting  tortilla-making 
and  clothes-washing.  The  Zapotecs  are  of  short,  stocky, 
muscular  build,  but  are  not  bad  looking,  and  do  not  have 
the  flat  noses  which  distinguish  so  many  of  the  Indians 
further  north.  In  some  districts  they  speak  very  little 
Spanish,  the  use  of  the  Zapotec  dialect  being  very  general. 

A number  of  pagan  superstitions  and  practices  still  sur- 
vive among  them,  a belief  in  witchcraft  being  very  general ; 
they  also  have  some  peculiar  medical  customs.  Once  in 
the  market-place  at  Oaxaca  two  aged  and  wrinkled  Indian 
dames  were  pointed  out  to  me  as  great  curanderas  or  wise 
women.  Most  of  the  Indian  communities  have  no  other 
doctors. 

These  curanderas  usually  claim  to  have  a great  knowledge 
of  medical  science  and  make  use  of  some  very  queer  remedies. 
According  to  their  superstitions,  air  can  enter  the  human 


312 


MEXICO 


system  through  blows  or  unusually  vigorous  sneezing,  and 
will  then  cause  nervous  tremblings,  sore  eyes  and  swellings. 
To  effect  a cure,  lotions,  plasters  and  bandages  are  em- 
ployed. When  the  alimentary  canal  is  obstructed,  it  is 
because  undigested  food  has  adhered  to  the  stomach  or  has 
formed  into  little  balls  which  rattle  about  in  the  intestines. 
Heroic  treatment  is  needed  for  this  condition,  and  a drop 
of  quicksilver  is  usually  prescribed,  which,  swallowed  at 
a gulp,  will  generally  effect  a cure  or  kill  the  patient. 
Tiricia,  the  word  used  for  homesickness,  melancholia  or 
insomnia,  is  caused  by  a subtle  vapor  produced  by  the 
action  of  the  moon  and  dew,  and  is  absorbed  through  the 
pores.  A sensible  prescription — change  of  scene,  good  com- 
pany and  tonics  — is  usually  given  for  this.  Mai  de  ojo 
or  evil  eye  causes  the  sufferer  to  fade  away  or  die  of  in- 
anition, and  is  a disease  common  among  children.  To  draw 
away  the  attention  of  the  ^^evil  eye,^^  bright,  attractive 
objects  are  hung  near  the  patient.  For  a child  who  is  slow 
in  learning  to  talk,  a diet  of  boiled  swallows  is  often  pre- 
scribed. Certain  colors  are  supposed  to  work  wonderful 
cures,  and  in  cases  of  paralysis  blue  and  red  beads  ground 
fine  are  sometimes  administered.  The  curandera  is  also 
called  upon  to  prepare  love  potions  and  to  supply  poisons, 
which  will  cause  delirium,  insanity  and  even  death. 

The  Zapotecs  have  a number  of  strange  dances,  includ- 
ing the  Devil  Dance,  which  usually  takes  place  on  the  feast- 
days  of  the  saints  to  whom  their  villages  are  dedicated. 
On  these  occasions  some  of  the  dancers  have  their  bodies 
painted  to  represent  skeletons,  and  also  wear  strange 
feathered  head-dresses.  An  American  acquaintance  who 
had  come  from  a mining  camp  some  thirty  miles  from 
Oaxaca  told  me  that  he  attended  one  of  these  dances,  which 
took  place  in  an  Indian  pueblo.  The  Zapotec  ball-room 
was  an  open  space  near  the  village,  and  here  the  dance  went 


RUINS  OF  MITLA. 

South  front  of  the  great  Hall  of  Monoliths. 


PBEHISTORIC  MEXICO 


313 


on  by  the  light  of  a blazing  fire,  the  dancers,  men  and  women, 
being  arrayed  in  all  kinds  of  fantastic  garb.  ‘^But  what 
astonished  me,’^  said  the  American,  ‘^were  three  Indians 
dressed  in  old-fashioned  French  zouave  uniforms.  One 
had  evidently  belonged  to  an  officer,  and  was  covered  with 
gold  lace.  To  my  surprise,  I learned  that  the  fathers  of 
these  Indians  had  stripped  the  uniforms  from  the  bodies  of 
French  soldiers  after  one  of  the  battles  near  Oaxaca  in  1865. 
The  uniforms  had  been  carefully  preserved,  and  the  cloth 
must  have  been  wonderfully  good  to  have  been  in  such 
sound  condition  after  so  many  years. 

The  Indian  who  wore  the  officer’s  uniform  said  to  me : 
^When  my  father  took  it,  there  were  big  gold  pieces  like 
American  gold  coins  on  it.  My  father  sold  these  at  the 
pawnshop.  There  was  also  a gold  cross,  and  that  he  gave 
to  our  padre.’  ” A strange  ending  for  the  uniform  and 
decorations  of  a gallant  officer  of  Napoleon  the  Third ! 


CHAPTER  XX 


LIFE  IN  AN  OLD  MEXICAN  TOWN 

^'Influenza  epidemic  in  Mexico/^  Thus  read  the  head- 
ing of  a special  article  which  appeared  in  one  of  the  Ameri- 
can-Mexican  newspapers  during  my  stay  in  Oaxaca.  The 
news  was  not  at  all  surprising ; for  it  does  not  require  a long 
residence  in  Mexico  to  realize  that  the  urwashed,  filthy 
living  peon  is  a ready  catcher  and  transmitter  of  any  in- 
fectious disease.  From  Mexico  City  the  malady  soon 
reached  Puebla,  and  in  a short  time  it  had  invaded  Oaxaca, 
where,  despite  the  mild  climate,  it  had  numerous  victims. 
I contracted  a bad  case  of  it  myself,  and  did  not  improve 
matters  by  returning  to  Puebla,  the  inhaling  of  dust  in 
large  quantities  on  the  long  railway  journey  not  being 
exactly  a specific  for  the  complaint. 

‘^Try  Cuautla,’^  said  the  doctor  whcir  I consulted  at 
Puebla;  ^Hhere’s  nothing  like  it  in  a case  of  influenza  with 
bronchial  complications.’^  My  first  thought  was  that 
Cuautla  was  some  strange  Mexican  drug,  and  was  wondering 
whether  it  would  be  a nauseous  dose,  when  the  doctor  pro- 
ceeded to  enlighten  me.  Cuautla,”  said  he,  is  the  name 
of  a popular  health  resort  between  Puebla  and  Mexico  City, 
the  climate  of  which  does  wonders  for  sufferers  from  lung 
and  bronchial  troubles.” 

Upon  making  inquiries  at  the  railway  office  about  trains 
to  Cuautla,  the  clerk  handed  me  an  illustrated  pamphlet 
with  a fine  colored  picture  on  the  cover  representing  a 
Mexican  tropical  scene.  It  bore  the  title,  Cuautla, 

314 


LIFE  IN  AN  OLD  MEXICAN  TOWN 


315 


Mexico's  Carlsbad.''  What ! I thought,  another  Carlsbad  ? 
In  glowing  language  the  booklet  described  Cuautla  as 
an  earthly  paradise  with  a magnificent  climate,  beautiful 
scenery,  splendidly  equipped  hotels  and  a warm  sulphur 
spring  whose  waters  were  a certain  specific  for  almost  every 
human  ailment.  What  more  could  one  desire  ? But  with 
a keen  memory  of  another  Mexican  Carlsbad  and  its  prim- 
itive surroundings  I was  determined  not  to  be  caught 
a second  time  nor  to  allow  my  hopes  to  be  raised  too 
high. 

Cuautla  is  about  a hundred  miles  or  so  from  Puebla,  and 
the  speedy  trains  of  the  Interoceanic  Railway  take  about 
ten  hours  to  make  the  journey.  The  train  which  I took 
left  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning ; it  was  not  timed 
to  reach  Cuautla  until  five  in  the  evening ; and  as  there  was 
not  any  restaurant  at  any  intermediate  station,  a somewhat 
terrifying  prospect  of  starvation  faced  travellers.  How 
were  they  to  get  their  luncheon  ? A little  pamphlet  given 
away  by  an  American  tourist  agency  and  evidently  written 
by  an  accomplished  press-agent  gave  me  the  desired  in- 
formation : — 

‘^At  a certain  station  on  the  road,"  said  my  traveller's 
guide,  your  train  will  stop  for  some  twenty  minutes.  Here 
you  will  be  greeted  by  graceful  Indian  women,  — beauties, 
many  of  them,  — with  their  olive  skins  and  dark,  flashing 
eyes,  bearing  themselves  with  queenly  grace  in  their  dainty 
rebosas  and  flowing  garments,  white  as  the  driven  snow. 
They  will  offer  you  such  dainties  as  tamales,  chili-con-carne 
and  tortillas,  piping  hot  from  their  little  stoves,  and  pre- 
pared with  all  the  scrupulous  cleanliness  of  a Parisian  chef. 
They  will  bring  you  dainty  refrescos  of  freshly  gathered 
pineapple  or  orange  to  quench  your  thirst,  and  pastry  such 
as  your  mother  may  have  made  when  her  cooking  was  at 
its  prime." 


316 


MEXICO 


Now,  what  more  could  any  reasonable  traveller  demand  ? 
What  need  was  there  for  a restaurant  when  there  were  all 
these  good  things  to  be  enjoyed?  I showed  my  guide  to 
an  American  friend  before  I started.  He  chuckled,  gave 
a knowing  wink  and  remarked,  Great  is  the  faith  of  man, 
for  after  all  your  experiences  you  can  still  believe  in  a Mexi- 
can guide-book. ‘^But,’^  I said,  ‘^here  it  is  in  black  and 
white,  the  dainty  cooking,  the  clean  Indians  — ^^That 
settles  it,  ’’  he  interrupted.  When  you  come  across  a clean 
Indian  in  this  part  of  the  country,  telegraph  me  at  my 
expense.’^  He  added,  ‘^If  I were  in  your  place,  I would 
be  on  the  safe  side  and  take  some  provisions  along. I 
took  his  advice,  and  was  afterwards  profoundly  thankful 
that  I did  so. 

Between  Puebla  and  Cuautla  the  railway  descends  to 
the  hot  lands,  the  descent  being  marked  by  a decided  in- 
crease in  temperature.  On  this  account  the  weather  tow- 
ards midday  became  uncomfortably  warm.  About  one 
o’clock,  in  dazzling  sunlight,  we  stopped  at  the  station 
where,  according  to  the  guide-book,  the  Indian  beauties 
were  to  greet  us.  There  certainly  were  a lot  of  women 
waiting,  and  they  came  rushing  forward  to  meet  the  train ; 
but  what  I saw  completely  took  away  my  appetite.  There 
were  the  usual  Indian  women  food-sellers  in  their  faded 
blue  rebosas  and  dusty  skirts,  most  of  them  old,  withered 
and  uncleanly,  having  been  born,  I fear,  with  a rooted 
aversion  to  soap  and  water.  Some  of  these  beldames  were 
squatting  outside  the  station,  cooking  various  queer  foods 
on  crude  charcoal  stoves.  I watched  the  process  of  tamale- 
making, not  exactly  an  appetizing  sight.  An  old  lady 
thrust  her  rather  dirty  hand  into  a jar  containing  chopped 
meat  and  other  ingredients,  took  out  a handful  and  slapped 
it  on  a piece  of  tortilla  dough  which  she  deftly  wrapped 
round  it  until  it  formed  a sort  of  roll.  This  she  plunged 


LIFE  IN  AN  OLD  MEXICAN  TOWN 


31T 


into  some  boiling  fat,  and  in  a few  minutes  it  was  cooked. 

what  delicious  tamales  they’re  a-making.  Mercy! 
I’m  going  to  have  some.”  The  speaker  was  a Western 
young  lady  who  was  travelling  with  her  father,  mother  and 
two  brothers.  Some  Westerners  apparently  have  strong 
nerves  as  well  as  appetites,  at  least  these  did;  for  they 
called  to  the  Indian  woman,  who  brought  them  her  greasy 
delicacies,  of  which  the  whole  family  partook  with  great 
relish.  A solemn  young  man  who  accompanied  the  party 
insisted  on  having  the  Mexican  equivalent  of  a jam  tart, 
and  managed  to  make  one  of  the  women  understand  him 
by  means  of  dumb  signs.  The  old  lady  rammed  her  dirty 
and  rather  greasy  hand  into  a jar  of  jam,  took  out  a handful, 
slapped  it  on  a piece  of  pastry,  and  presto  ! there  was  the 
jam  tart. 

The  Mexican  passengers  were,  of  course,  even  less  fas- 
tidious. They  bought  the  Indian  dainties  recklessly,  load- 
ing themselves  with  them  externally  and  internally.  I was 
content  to  appease  my  hunger  with  some  biscuits  and 
cheese  and  to  quench  my  thirst  with  some  Tehuacan  water. 
I expect,  in  common  with  my  fellow-men,  to  eat  a peck  of 
dirt  in  my  lifetime,  but  I positively  decline  to  take  it  all 
at  one  dose.  So  much  for  the  guide-book.  I was  now 
ready  for  Cuautla. 

On  my  arrival  there,  I crossed  a pretty  little  plaza  op- 
posite the  station  and  reached  the  Hotel  Morelos,  an  estab- 
lishment under  American  management  where  I had  ar- 
ranged to  stay.  It  was  the  usual  old  mansion  that  had 
been  turned  into  a hotel  and  very  little  altered.  There 
was  a large  interior  patio,  with  fountain,  trees  and  flowers ; 
a large  garden  adjoined  this  filled  with  orange  trees,  banana 
plants  and  palms,  with  great  masses  of  bougainvillea  grow- 
ing everywhere.  All  the  rooms  opened  into  the  patio, 
and  on  one  side  of  it  there  was  a long,  rustic  dining-room. 


318 


MEXICO 


The  place  looked  very  old-fashioned  and  crude,  but  was 
interesting  and  picturesque,  and  in  the  mild  climate  of 
Cuautla,  where  outdoor  life  is  so  pleasant,  many  luxuries 
indispensable  elsewhere  could  be  dispensed  with.  The 
rooms  were  furnished  in  the  usual  Mexican  style,  with 
tiled  floors  and  one  or  two  rugs,  but  were  clean  and  com- 
fortable. 

The  attractions  of  the  hotel  were  hardly  up  to  those  of 
a Carlsbad  establishment,  for  it  had  neither  a writing  nor 
a smoking  room ; but  the  terms  were  rather  more  attractive 
than  the  usual  Carlsbad  tariff,  being  about  two  dollars  a clay 
inclusive.  It  is  true  there  was  a good  deal  of  Mexican 
about  the  cooking,  but  the  meals  were  not  at  all  bad  and 
the  service  very  fair.  There  were  many  visitors  at  the 
hotel,  chiefly  Americans,  most  of  whom  had  fled  from  the 
capital  to  escape  influenza  or  to  recover  from  it.  But 
for  the  tropical  surroundings,  one  could  easily  have  imagined 
one’s  self  at  an  American  resort. 

Situated  at  an  altitude  of  about  five  thousand  feet, 
Cuautla  has  a splendid  winter  climate,  fully  rivalling  that 
of  Cuernavaca,  the  mean  temperature  averaging  seventy 
degrees  the  year  round.  It  is  a quaint,  old-fashioned  place, 
with  narrow,  cobble-paved  streets,  and  houses  of  the  usual 
low,  flat-roofed  type.  As  I strolled  about  the  town  the 
next  morning,  I noticed  some  unusually  amusing  signs  of 
Americanization.  An  enterprising  barber,  for  example, 
displayed  a big  signboard  with  the  English  inscription, 
''Hygienic,  non-cutting  barber  shop,”  as  a tempting  in- 
ducement to  tourists,  and  one  or  two  other  establishments 
displayed  in  their  windows  the  interesting  announcement, 
"American  spoke  here.” 

Before  the  Conquest,  Cuautla  was  an  Indian  settlement 
of  some  importance;  and  in  1600  the  present  town  was 
founded  by  the  Spaniards.  In  1812,  during  the  War  of 


LIFE  IN  AN  OLD  MEXICAN  TOWN 


319 


Independence,  it  was  the  scene  of  some  fierce  fighting. 
It  was  in  that  year  that  General  Morelos,  the  Mexican 
patriot,  with  a small  force,  was  shut  up  in  the  town  and 
besieged  by  a large  Spanish  army  under  General  Calleja. 
After  a siege  of  three  months,  Morelos  was  enabled  to  evacu- 
ate the  place,  but  not  until  he  was  starved  out.  During 
the  siege  food  became  so  scarce  that  cats  were  sold  for  six 
dollars,  and  rats  and  lizards  for  one  and  two  dollars.  One 
street  in  the  town  is  called  ^^Armaguras  de  Calleja,’’  which 
means  Bitterness  of  Calleja,”  the  forces  of  the  Spanish 
general  having  suffered  terribly  in  this  particular  thorough- 
fare. Another  street,  called  Las  Victimes,”  is  so  called  be- 
cause the  Spaniards,  after  entering  the  town,  are  said  to 
have  cut  the  throats  of  all  the  women  and  children  in  its 
houses. 

Cuautla  is  also  famous  for  having  the  oldest  railway 
station  in  the  world,  the  crumbling,  ancient  structure  which 
is  now  used  for  this  purpose  having  been  the  Church  of 
San  Diego  built  in  1657.  Near  it  was  a convent  now  also 
used  for  business  purposes.  When  the  law  appropriating 
church  property  was  enforced  in  1856,  the  Franciscan 
fathers  who  then  occupied  the  church  and  adjacent  build- 
ings vacated  the  place,  and  in  1881  the  railway  company 
purchased  it  for  its  present  use. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  I went  into  the  old  church, 
the  body  of  which  is  now  used  as  a warehouse,  while  one 
side  of  it  bordering  the  railway  line  provides  accommodation 
for  the  waiting-room  and  various  offices.  A quantity  of 
wine-barrels  were  piled  up  at  the  spot  where  the  high  altar 
had  formerly  stood,  and  all  kinds  of  merchandise  were  stored 
in  other  parts  of  the  building.  Over  the  door  was  an  in- 
scription, the  first  words  of  which  seem  appropriate  enough 
to  the  present  condition  of  the  once  sacred  edifice:  ^‘Terri- 
bilis  est  iste  hie  domus  dei  et  porta  coeli  ” (How  dreadful 


320 


MEXICO 


is  this  place.  This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God  and 
this  is  the  gate  of  heaven). 

The  warm  sulphur  spring  — the  great  attraction  of 
Cuautla,  and  its  only  claim  to  be  reckoned  a spa  — is  some 
three  miles  out  of  the  town,  and  visitors  go  out  there  on 
horseback,  or  in  a wagonette  which  makes  the  trip  several 
times  a day.  In  the  daytime  the  roads  are  too  dusty,  and 
it  is  too  hot,  for  walking. 

In  a blaze  of  sunshine  which  was  worthy  of  the  sub- 
tropics, I started  for  the  springs  the  morning  after  my 
arrival,  riding  in  one  of  the  wagonettes,  which  was  well 
filled  with  passengers.  Rumbling  through  the  cobble- 
paved  streets  and  almost  dislocating  our  bones,  the  vehicle 
at  last  reached  the  white,  dusty  highroad  which  led  out 
into  the  country.  For  most  of  the  way  it  is  bordered  with 
large  banana  plantations,  and  the  tall  plants  were  loaded 
with  green  fruit.  These  plantations  are  artificially  irrigated, 
and  even  in  what  was  now  the  dry  season  streams  were 
running  through  them.  There  are  several  rivers  round 
Cuautla,  and  in  the  hottest  weather  the  country  is  well 
watered.  It  is,  in  fact,  one  of  Cuautla’s  great  charms  that 
everywhere  there  is  running  water,  through  the  streets 
and  roads,  in  the  gardens  and  plazas  and  through  the  fields. 
Irrigation  has  made  the  land  to  blossom  like  the  rose,  and 
after  seeing  so  much  of  the  dry,  arid  districts,  the  green  trees 
and  fields,  the  miles  of  fruit  trees,  the  graceful  palms  and 
wealth  of  flowers  were  a welcome  sight. 

Later  on  the  road  passed  over  some  barren,  rocky  hills, 
from  the  summit  of  which  there  were  some  magnificent 
views.  All  around,  in  the  distance,  were  rolling,  reddish 
mountains,  and  far  beyond  these  could  be  seen  the  snow- 
covered  peaks  of  Popocatepetl  and  Ixtaccihuatl.  The  air 
was  wonderfully  clear  and  the  sky  the  never  changing, 
cloudless  blue.  By  the  roadside  were  occasional  Indian 


LIFE  IN  AN  OLD  MEXICAN  TOWN 


321 


huts,  not  of  the  usual  square,  flat-roofed  type,  but  circu- 
lar, and  looking  something  like  round  English  haystacks. 
They  are  built  partly  of  adobe  and  partly  of  bamboo,  inter- 
woven with  reeds  and  rushes,  the  roofs  being  thatched  with 
grass.  Most  of  them  were  embowered  in  a jungle  of  tropi- 
cal vegetation  and  oftentimes  in  a dense  thicket  of  green 
bamboo.  The  peons  here  seemed  to  look  a shade  cleaner 
than  elsewhere,  probably  because  there  was  plenty  of  water 
in  the  neighborhood;  their  clothing  of  homespun  cotton, 
too,  looked  almost  white. 

My  fellow-travellers  in  the  wagonette  were  two  French 
families,  men,  women,  boys  and  girls,  and  they  talked  in- 
cessantly of  the  wonderful  sulphur  bath  they  were  going 
to  enjoy;  but  when  we  reached  the  spring  I could  see  no 
signs  of  a bath-house.  Flowing  through  a narrow  ravine 
was  a small  stream  which  at  one  point  formed  a waterfall, 
pouring  over  a high  bluff  into  a large  rocky  basin.  This 
basin  was  divided  into  two  parts  by  a low  brick  wall  built 
through  the  centre. 

On  our  arrival,  the  ladies  and  girls  wandered  off  in  one 
direction,  and  I followed  the  men  and  boys  in  another. 
They  went  under  some  trees  near  by,  took  off  their  clothes 
and  donned  bathing-suits.  The  ladies  and  girls,  who  had 
retired  to  other  trees  at  a respectful  distance,  also  appeared 
in  their  bathing  costumes.  They  went  into  the  water  on 
one  side  of  the  brick  wall,  while  the  men  and  boys  took 
possession  of  that  on  the  other  side.  That  is  how  this 
Mexican  Carlsbad  is  conducted.  I did  not  take  a bath,  but 
I put  my  hand  in  the  water,  finding  it  tepid,  and  as  the  day 
was  quite  hot,  I have  no  doubt  that  the  bathing  was  very 
pleasant.  The  water  is  strongly  impregnated  with  sulphur, 
and  is  said  to  be  extremely  beneficial  in  cases  of  rheumatism 
and  various  other  diseases. 

The  drive  or  ride  out  to  the  springs  is  about  the  only 


322 


MEXICO 


amusement  at  Cuautla,  so  people  contrive  to  pass  away  the 
time  by  getting  up  late  and  going  to  bed  early.  It  is,  how- 
ever, a pretty  spot,  a midwinter  paradise;  and  if  it  only 
had  a good,  up-to-date  hotel,  with  organized  recreation, 
it  could  be  made  into  a very  fine  resort.  Even  as  things 
are,  the  place  is  always  crowded  during  the  winter  season. 

There  is  another  spring  of  a different  kind  less  than  a mile 
from  Cuautla.  It  is  reached  by  a beautiful  lane,  bordered 
by  a low,  moss-grown  wall  of  rough  stones  and  shaded  by 
an  occasional  group  of  banana  plants  or  palms.  From  this 
tropical  by-path  there  was  a view  over  miles  of  bright  green 
sugar-cane  to  the  horizon  of  reddish  mountains,  and  tower- 
ing above  them  all  were  the  two  great  snow-covered  peaks, 
standing  out  sharply  against  the  deep  blue  sky.  The  scene 
was  always  magnificent,  and  in  the  evenings,  when  the 
sun  was  setting,  the  color  effects  were  exquisite  beyond 
description.  At  the  end  of  the  lane  was  a wide,  clear  brook 
dashing  over  the  rocks  and  bordering  some  cool  woods, 
full  of  fine  old  trees,  green  as  the  trees  of  New  England  in 
early  June;  beneath  them  was  a carpeting  of  long,  lush 
grass  and  a myriad  of  bright  flowers.  Crossing  the  brook 
by  some  stepping-stones,  one  could  enter  the  wood  and  reach 
a deep,  sandy  basin,  where  several  springs  forever  bubbled 
up  beneath  the  water  which  flowed  off  in  wide  streams, 
branching  in  every  direction.  The  only  visitors  to  this 
charming  spot  seemed  to  be  a few  Indians  who  came  down 
to  bathe. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Cuautla  there  are  several  great  haciendas 
or  farming  estates,  some  of  them  as  extensive  as  counties. 
One  which  employs  thousands  of  men  is  over  three  hun- 
dred thousand  acres  in  extent,  and  within  its  limits  are  sev- 
eral Indian  villages  with  their  big  churches.  This  part  of 
Mexico  is  a sugar-cane  country,  and  here  can  be  seen  great 
mills  which  convert  the  chopped  stalk  into  sugar,  the 


LIFE  IN  AN  OLD  MEXICAN  TOWN 


323 


capacity  of  each  mill  being  estimated  by  the  hundred  tons 
instead  of  the  pound.  From  the  sugar-mills  you  can  see 
the  glistening  peaks  of  Popocatepetl  and  Ixtaccihuatl  — 
sugar-making  within  the  sight  of  snow!  Is  there  any 
other  place  on  earth  revealing  such  a contrast  ? 

An  idea  of  the  size  of  Mexican  haciendas  can  be  gained 
from  the  fact  that  one  of  the  largest  estates  near  Cuautla 
has  two  railway  stations  within  its  limits  and  its  own  line  of 
railway.  Such  a thing,  however,  is  not  at  all  uncommon 
in  Mexico. 

In  the  seventeenth  century  these  great  estates  were  to 
Mexico  what  the  feudal  castles  were  to  Europe  in  earlier 
times.  The  hacienda  house  — the  great  stone  mansion 
where  the  haciendado  and  his  family  lived  — was  then 
surrounded  with  farm  buildings  and  the  homes  of  the  work- 
men. From  early  morn  until  night,  trains  of  burros  were 
constantly  going  in  and  out  loaded  with  wood,  maize, 
vegetables,  poultry,  baskets  of  fruit ; the  great  house  having 
a life  of  its  own,  self-supporting,  quite  apart  from  the 
State.  In  the  tower  of  the  hacienda  chapel,  or  if  there  was 
no  chapel,  then  from  an  arch  over  the  main  entrance  to  the 
hacienda  house,  there  was  usually  a bell  which  had  been 
blessed.  This  was  rung  to  call  in  the  field-hands  whenever 
danger  threatened ; and  as  soon  as  the  alarm  sounded  they 
would  drop  plough  and  sickle  and  run  to  the  great  house, 
where  the  women  and  children  gathered  in  the  patio  while 
the  senor  armed  the  men  with  rifles  from  the  storeroom. 
Then  from  the  port-holes  of  the  heavy  stone  walls,  from 
the  corner  turrets  and  from  the  protected  roof  the  hacienda^s 
defenders  were  able  to  offer  stout  resistance  against  wander- 
ing marauders  or  bands  of  soldiery  in  search  of  plunder. 
In  these  peaceful  times  the  bell  is  now  rung  only  when  rain 
or  hail  threatens  in  harvest  time,  as  its  blessed  voice  is  sup- 
posed to  be  a charm  against  the  elements. 


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In  the  daily  life  of  these  great  haciendas  many  pictu- 
resque and  beautiful  customs  still  survive.  An  interesting 
description  of  some  of  these  was  given  by  the  author  of  an 
article  which  recently  appeared  in  one  of  the  Mexican 
magazines.  ^^When  the  day’s  work  is  done/’  says  this 
writer,  ^^and  the  last  red  gleam  has  faded  from  the  moun- 
tains, the  field-hands  gather  together  to  sing  the  evening 
song  of  praise.  A deep  bass  begins  the  chant : — 

^ Dios  te  salve  Maria.' 

A shrill,  childish  voice  joins  in : — 

* Dios  te  salve  Maria.' 

Then  from  the  long  line  of  men  and  women  rises  the 
chorus : — 

‘ Dios  te  salve  Maria 
Llena  eres  de  gracia.' 

The  Indian  voices  vary  in  pitch  from  a shriek  to  a roar. 
When  the  whole  company  joins  in,  each  singing  or  yell- 
ing: — 

‘ Bendita  tu  eres 
Entre  todas  las  mu j eres,' 

one  might  imagine  it  to  be  the  fierce  war-song  of  the  Aztec 
legions  defending  their  royal  city  on  the  lakes.  But  it  is 
only  the  ^Ave  Maria’  sung  to  the  gentle  Mother.” 

In  harvesting  grain,  short-bladed  hand  sickles  are  very 
commonly  used.  Whenever  a reaper  straightens  up  to 
rest  from  his  work,  he  raises  his  hat  and  shouts  in  a high, 
monotonous  key,  Ave  Maria,  Santissima !”  Some  fellow- 
worker  in  a neighboring  field  answers  back,  and  so  round  all 
the  wide  fields  a continuous  cry  of  rejoicing  goes  up.  If 
a field  is  fruitful,  a cross,  hung  with  wisps  of  grain  and  stiff 
decorations  made  from  the  maguey  flower,  is  set  up  in  a 
corner  of  it  as  a sign  of  thankfulness.  Even  the  noxious 


LIFE  IN  AN  OLD  MEXICAN  TOWN 


325 


pulque  has  its  peculiar  religious  rites.  As  the  peon  pours 
the  agua  miel,  freshly  gathered  from  the  maguey,  into  the 
evil-smelling  cowhide  vats  of  the  tinacal,  he  calls  out  in  a 
loud  tone : In  the  name  of  the  holy  sacrament  on  the  altar ! 
Hail  to  the  most  pure  Virgin  Mary  ! May  the  pulque  turn 
out  well.”  Every  man  in  the  building  raises  his  hat. 

On  many  of  the  larger  haciendas  the  baronial  magnifi- 
cence which  was  once  common  is  still  kept  up.  Some  of 
the  great  estates  include  villages  with  a population  of  peons, 
all  laborers  employed  by  the  haciendado.  It  would  take 
days  to  ride  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  these  vast  domains. 
Years  ago,  when  there  were  no  inns,  any  traveller  could  stop 
at  the  hacienda,  sure  of  hospitality  and  a hearty  welcome. 
In  northern  Mexico  there  is  one  immense  hacienda  which 
formerly  controlled  twenty  thousand  peons.  Some  of  the 
great  estates  still  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  original  families, 
to  whom  they  were  granted  at  the  Conquest.  The  owners 
of  these  properties  enjoy  princely  incomes,  and  most  of 
them  keep  elaborate  houses  in  the  capital,  where  they  spend 
their  wealth  with  a lavish  hand. 

Many  of  the  hacienda  houses  are  comfortably  furnished ; 
but  even  the  richest  Mexicans  are  more  or  less  barbaric  in 
their  household  ideas,  and  know  very  little  of  those  luxuries 
which  go  to  make  up  the  delight  of  an  American  home. 
The  cooking  is  usually  atrocious,  there  are  rarely  bath- 
rooms and  other  requisites,  and  so  primitive  are  the  arrange- 
ments that  very  few  people  accustomed  to  modern  civilized 
life  would  care  to  visit  them. 

The  great  hacienda  system  has  been  a serious  obstacle 
to  progress  in  Mexico;  and  if  these  huge  estates  were  di- 
vided up  among  smaller  proprietors  and  properly  cultivated, 
the  country  would  be  much  richer.  As  it  is,  half  the  land 
is  lying  idle,  going  to  waste,  or  is  only  half  tilled. 

The  agricultural  methods  in  vogue  on  many  of  the  old 


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estates  are  still  very  primitive,  and  there  is  oftentimes  a 
curious  mingling  of  the  ancient  and  modern.  The  latest 
improved  harvesting  and  threshing  machines  can  sometimes 
be  seen  in  operation,  while  not  far  off  peons  are  ploughing 
with  the  old  wooden  ploughs  and  driving  along  the  lumbering 
ox  carts.  Grain  is  still  threshed  in  some  places  by  driving 
teams  of  horses  or  mules  over  it  every  day  for  hours  at  a 
time,  and  is  winnowed  by  being  tossed  in  the  air.  While 
accepting  a few  modern  improvements,  the  average  haci- 
endado  clings  tenaciously  to  many  of  the  old  ways  and  is 
strongly  opposed  to  giving  them  up. 

A wonderful  variety  of  grains,  fruits  and  vegetables 
are  grown  on  the  haciendas  of  Mexico.  In  the  north  the 
chief  products  are  wheat,  barley,  maize,  and  other  cereals, 
and  in  the  south,  sugar-cane,  coffee,  cocoa,  vanilla,  tobacco, 
pineapples,  bananas  and  india-rubber.  All  over  the  coun- 
try there  is  a great  cultivation  of  fibre  plants.  Some  ha- 
ciendas, too,  are  exclusively  devoted  to  the  breeding  of 
horses,  cattle,  and  other  live  stock. 

Visits  to  the  haciendas  in  the  surrounding  country  form 
a very  interesting  diversion  to  life  at  Cuautla,  and  there 
are  many  interesting  scenes  to  be  witnessed  in  the  old  town 
itself.  For,  like  many  of  the  smaller  Mexican  towns,  Cuautla 
still  retains  much  of  the  romance  and  manners  of  sunny 
Spain.  At  night  in  the  plaza  there  is  Spain  in  miniature. 
One  evening  I passed  an  old  fonda,  open  to  the  street,  in 
which  were  gathered  a number  of  peons,  in  their  blankets 
and  sombreros,  drinking  their  aguardiente  and  playing 
their  favorite  game  of  picture-cards.  Three  picturesque 
natives  twanged  away  merrily  on  old-fashioned  mandolins 
and  occasionally  burst  into ' song.  In  the  neighboring 
plaza,  beneath  a sky  brilliant  with  tropical  stars  and  an 
unclouded  moon,  there  strolled  a few  dark-eyed  senoritas 
with  their  duennas,  regarded  with  languishing  looks  by 


LIFE  IN  AN  OLD  MEXICAN  TOWN 


327 


the  young  sehores  who  stood  in  groups  beneath  the  old  trees, 
greeting  the  fair  ones  with  an  occasional  ^^adios.”  In  a 
side  street  I caught  a glimpse  of  one  or  two  faithful  bears’’ 
standing  below  the  balconies,  chatting  in  low  tones  with 
the  Juliets  above.  Evidently  romance  had  not  yet  passed 
away  in  old  Cuautla. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


IN  THE  CRATER  OF  POPOCATEPETL 

As  almost  every  tourist  who  gazes  upon  Mont  Blanc  is 
seized  with  the  ambition  to  make  an  ascent,  so  there  are 
few  travellers  who  can  behold  Popocatepetl  without  feeling 
an  overwhelming  desire  to  scale  this  king  of  Mexican  moun- 
tains. To  do  this  was  once  regarded  as  a wonderful  feat, 
and  the  adventurous  traveller  who  performed  it  was  ac- 
claimed as  a hero.  But  nowadays,  so  prosaic  has  the  world 
become,  that  scores  of  American  tourists  climb  to  the  snowy 
heights  of  ^^Popo’^  every  year,  including  the  expedition 
as  part  of  their  round-trip’^  excursions  to  Mexico. 

Popocatepetl  had  fascinated  me  from  the  time  I had 
first  seen  its  wondrous  outline  standing  sharply  against 
the  blue  Mexican  sky,  its  snow-clad  tip  glistening  beneath 
the  dazzling  Mexican  sun.  Viewing  Popocatepetl  daily 
across  the  green  fields  of  Cuautla,  I became  possessed  of  a 
keen  desire  to  emulate  the  American  tripper  by  including 
a climb  to  the  summit  as  part  of  my  own  itinerary.  I was 
given  an  unexpected  opportunity  to  realize  this  desire 
when  I received  an  invitation  one  day  to  meet  some  friends 
at  Amecameca  and  join  them  in  making  an  ascent  of  the 
great  mountain. 

Amecameca  is  about  halfway  between  Cuautla  and  Mex- 
ico City,  or  a distance  of  forty  miles.  The  train  which  I 
took  one  morning  made  this  journey  in  something  like  four 
hours ! It  was  a hot,  dusty  ride ; but  as  in  other  Mexican 

328 


IN  THE  CRATER  OF  POPOCATEPETL 


329 


railway  journeys  that  I had  made  the  interesting  sights  to 
be  seen  on  the  way  served  to  alleviate  the  discomforts  and 
slowness  of  travel. 

Between  Cuautla  and  Amecameca  there  is  some  won- 
derful scenery.  Leaving  the  cultivated  valley,  the  railway 
passes  between  a succession  of  lofty,  treeless,  sun-baked 
hills ; then,  gradually  climbing  higher,  opens  up  a splendid 
view  of  the  surrounding  mountains,  with  the  great  peaks 
of  Popocatepetl  and  Ixtaccihuatl  rising  above  them  all. 
Many  of  these  hills  show  unmistakable  signs  of  volcanic 
action  and  the  effects  of  the  lava  which  once  flowed  from 
the  two  volcanos  when  they  were  active. 

A great  deal  of  maguey  is  cultivated  in  this  district,  and 
there  are  several  large  plantations  along  the  line.  A num- 
ber of  fibrous  plants  are  also  grown  which  are  extensively 
employed  in  the  manufacture  of  hemp.  There  are  in  Mexico 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  species  of  agave  of  various 
sizes,  all  fibre-producing  plants,  some  of  them  having 
leaves  as  much  as  six  or  eight  feet  long.  They  thrive  best 
in  the  semi-arid  districts  and  in  a thin,  rocky  limestone  soil. 
All  that  is  necessary  is  that  the  soil  around  the  plant  should 
be  kept  clear  of  weeds. 

Most  important  of  these  fibrous  plants  is  henequen,  which 
is  extensively  cultivated  in  Yucatan,  the  dry  climate  and 
sandy  soil  of  that  part  of  Mexico  being  peculiarly  adapted 
to  its  cultivation.  The  fibre  produced  is  used  very  largely 
in  the  manufacture  of  carpets,  rugs,  twines,  ropes  and 
bagging.  Owing  to  the  check  that  Manila  hemp  crops  re- 
ceived from  the  Spanish-American  War,  Yucatan  in  recent 
years  has  acquired  almost  a monopoly  of  the  hemp  trade. 
Formerly  one  of  the  poorest  States  of  Mexico,  it  has  now 
become  one  of  the  richest.  Enormous  fortunes  have  been 
made  by  the  henequen  growers  in  the  last  ten  years,  many 
poor  men  having  suddenly  acquired  great  wealth.  The 


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value  of  the  fibres  exported  from  Mexico  every  year  now 
amounts  to  nearly  140,000,000. 

Some  species  of  cactus  are  also  valuable  for  their  fibre- 
producing  qualities,  notably  the  ixtle,  which  was  used  ex- 
tensively by  the  Aztecs  for  weaving  blankets.  The  famous 
tilma  in  the  shrine  of  Guadalupe  is  made  of  this  material. 
It  is  said  that  some  cacti  will  produce  an  excellent  quality 
of  paper  pulp,  and  experiments  are  being  made  with  them. 
If  the  project  is  successful,  it  may  do  something  towards 
relieving  the  situation  in  the  paper  trade  caused  by  the 
decreasing  area  of  forests  available  for  paper-making 
purposes. 

The  maguey,  which  supplies  the  national  beverage, 
pulque,  was  found  useful  in  other  ways  by  the  ancient  races 
of  Mexico.  Its  thorns  were  used  for  needles  and  pins,  while 
the  leaves  made  a good  thatch  for  the  roofs  of  their  huts, 
and  when  properly  prepared,  furnished  as  good  a material 
for  their  writing  as  the  Egyptian  papyrus. 

As  in  the  trip  from  Mexico  City  to  Cuernavaca,  the 
line  from  Cuautla  runs  over  the  mountains,  and  at  one 
point  it  reaches  the  altitude  of  nearly  eight  thousand  feet. 
It  passes  through  miles  of  cool  pine  woods  with  all  the 
characteristics  of  a northern  forest,  and  occasionally  there 
are  glimpses  of  the  great  wooded  valley  leading  to  Popo- 
catepetl, whose  pointed  snow  peak  towers  above  the  clouds. 
Comparisons  are  always  odious,  but  to  my  mind  the  mag- 
nificent distances  to  be  seen  here,  the  glorious  blue  sky, 
the  thin,  clear  air,  and  the  wonderful  tints  of  the  mountains 
and  trees  combine  to  form  scenic  beauties  which  rival  even 
those  of  the  valley  of  Chamounix  and  Mont  Blanc.  At 
three  in  the  afternoon  I reached  Amecameca,  met  my 
friends  and  had  a good  night's  rest  at  the  comfortable 
little  hotel  in  this  picturesque  town,  preparatory  to  mak- 
ing the  ascent  of  the  mountain  the  following  day. 


ASCENT  OF  POPOCATEPETL. 

View  of  the  snow-clad  summit  from  the  Half-way  House. 


THE  JOUltNEY’S  END. 
Mountain-climl)ers  ou  the  summit  of  Popocatepetl. 


V 


IN  THE  CRATER  OF  POPOCATEPETL 


331 


Not  far  from  Amecameca  is  a new  winter  and  summer 
resort  under  American  management,  known  as  ^‘Popo 
Park”  — that  is  how  the  Americans  have  abbreviated 

Popocatepetl  Park.”  A large,  comfortable  hotel  has  been 
started  at  this  place,  which  has  become  quite  a popular 
week-end  resort  for  people  in  the  capital,  especially 
during  the  winter  months.  Before  long  a motor  road  will 
be  completed  between  Popo  Park  and  the  city,  the  distance 
being  about  forty  miles.  The  hotel  is  situated  in  the  midst 
of  the  pine  woods,  and  although  the  air  is  cool  during  the 
day  and  sharp  at  night  and  in  the  morning,  blazing  wood 
fires  enable  the  guests  to  be  very  comfortable.  A number 
of  wealthy  people  are  building  bungalows  in  the  park,  which 
is  destined  to  become,  in  time,  one  of  the  most  popular 
resorts  in  Mexico. 

This  is  the  place  from  which  tourists  usually  make  the 
ascent  of  Popocatepetl  (17,782  feet).  The  hotel  manage- 
ment arranges  all  the  details  of  the  ascent,  the  cost  for  each 
person  being  825.  This  includes  a return  ticket  from  Mex- 
ico City,  room  and  board  at  the  hotel,  a guide,  pack-mule, 
and  complete  outfit  of  bed,  clothing  and  food  for  the  trip. 
For  $10  extra  the  visitor  can  be  carried  up  the  most  diffi- 
cult part  of  the  route  after  the  animals  are  left  behind, 
making  the  ascent  possible  to  those  who  are  too  much  af- 
fected by  the  high  altitude  to  exert  their  strength.  Visitors 
who  come  from  Mexico  City  can  make  the  trip  to  the  summit 
and  return  to  town  in  three  days. 

Our  party  for  the  ascent  consisted  of  three,  each  of  us 
mounted  on  a sturdy  mule.  At  midday  we  stopped  for 
luncheon  at  the  ranch  of  El  Paraje,  a point  where  many 
who  set  out  to  scale  the  mountain  often  turn  back,  either 
losing  courage  or  finding  the  strain  on  the  heart  and  lungs 
too  great.  As  we  left  the  ranch  and  rode  onward,  the 
scenery  and  vegetation  began  to  change  until  only  a few 


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stunted  oyamal  trees  and  patches  of  withered  grass  were  to 
be  seen. 

When  we  reached  the  ranch  of  Tlamacas  at  four  in  the 
afternoon,  a freezing,  bitter  wind  was  blowing,  there  was 
a light  fall  of  snow  and  we  were  glad  to  get  inside  the  hut 
and  warm  ourselves  at  a wood  fire.  It  was  agreed  that 
we  should  continue  our  journey  to  the  summit  at  three 
o’clock  in  the  morning.  In  spite  of  the  fire  and  plenty  of 
blankets,  we  spent  the  early  hours  of  the  night  very  uncom- 
fortably, as  it  was  impossible  to  keep  out  the  intense  cold. 
At  two  in  the  morning,  after  refreshing  ourselves  with  some 
hot  tea,  we  commenced  the  ascent  by  the  light  of  the  full 
moon,  its  brilliant  rays  reflected  by  the  white  field  of  snow. 
As  we  mounted  upwards,  the  path  became  more  and  more 
steep,  the  mules  being  compelled  to  stop  frequently  to 
gain  their  breath.  We  were  forced  at  last  to  dismount  and 
proceed  on  foot.  In  the  far  distance  the  City  of  Puebla, 
with  its  twinkling  lights,  could  now  be  seen,  backed  by  the 
towering  peak  of  Orizaba. 

As  we  climbed  steadily  on,  the  moon  sank  behind  the 
mountain  heights  and  the  sky  was  diffused  with  the  first 
rosy  flush  of  the  coming  dawn,  a most  beautiful  sight. 
The  green  mountain  looked  so  majestic  that  one  could  not 
wonder  that  it  had  taken  its  place  with  its  companion, 
Ixtaccihuatl,  in  the  mythology  of  the  Aztecs.  Legend  says 
that  Popocatepetl  (the  smoking  mountain)  and  Ixtac- 
cihuatl (the  woman  in  white)  were  once  giants  who,  having 
displeased  the  gods,  were  transformed  into  mountains. 
The  appearance  of  the  smaller  mountain  strikingly  illus- 
trates this  story,  for  the  outline  of  its  summit  bears  a close 
resemblance  to  the  form  of  a woman  shrouded  in  snow. 
After  being  changed  into  mountains,  the  legend  adds,  the 
woman  died,  but  the  man  was  doomed  to  live  on  and  to 
gaze  on  his  beloved  forever.  At  times,  in  his  deep  grief. 


IN  THE  CRATEB  OF  POPOCATEPETL 


333 


he  trembles  and  moans,  while  tears  of  fire  course  down  his 
furrowed  cheek.  Both  mountains  are  extinct  volcanoes, 
Popocatepetl  having  been  active  within  historical  times. 
The  fires  of  Ixtaccihuatl  were  probably  the  first  to  cease, 
thus  giving  rise  to  the  beautiful  legend. 

People  who  climb  Popocatepetl  are  warned  not  to  eat 
much,  which  advice  is  not  altogether  sound,  as  the  great 
strain  upon  the  system  is  weakening  enough  without  the 
exhaustion  necessarily  caused  by  the  lack  of  food.  Before 
we  had  reached  the  summit  we  were  all  tired  out,  and  our 
breathing  became  so  labored  that  we  were  obliged  to  call  a 
halt.  Then  we  made  a final  struggle,  pushing  forward 
with  a grim  determination  which  was  soon  rewarded. 
A few  minutes  more  of  hard  climbing  brought  us  to  the 
crater,  and  before  our  eyes  was  unfolded  a magnificent  scene. 
Around  us  were  the  rugged  mountain  heights,  half  shrouded 
with  clouds  of  varied  and  beautiful  tints,  which  in  the 
course  of  an  hour  or  two  drifted  away,  enabling  us  to  see 
into  the  depths  of  the  vast  crater.  Here  the  scene  vividly 
recalled  the  descriptions  of  the  infernal  regions  in  Dante’s 
great  poem.  The  rugged  sides  of  the  crater,  glistening  with 
yellow  sulphurous  incrustations,  intermingled  with  masses 
of  black  volcanic  earth  and  white  patches  of  snow,  assumed 
a thousand  weird  shadows  and  variegated  colors;  and  on 
one  side  was  a large  pool  of  intensely  green  water.  As  a 
fitting  accompaniment  to  this  scene  the  air  was  filled  with 
pungent  fumes,  and  a strange  noise  was  heard  like  the 
escaping  of  steam,  combined  with  another  sound  which 
closely  resembled  the  rapid  firing  of  musketry.  One  of 
these  noises  is  caused  by  the  rush  of  sulphurous  vapor 
from  great  fissures  in  the  crater,  called  respirator! os  ” ; 
the  other  is  made  by  stones  which  are  continually  being 
detached  from  the  sides  of  the  crater  and  fall  into  its  depths. 
The  smoke  which  issues  from  the  fissures  can  only  be  seen 


334 


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at  close  range,  but  it  was  formerly  visible  from  a distance, 
thus  giving  rise  to  the  name  Popocatepetl  or  smoking 
mountain.’’ 

After  inspecting  the  bottom  of  the  crater  and  being  half 
choked  by  the  sulphurous  fumes  which  issued  from  its 
depths,  we  were  glad  to  climb  back  to  the  outer  edge. 
The  rarefied  air  was  so  oppressive  that  we  were  constantly 
obliged  to  rest.  Shortly  afterwards  the  mists  again  sur- 
rounded us  and  we  seemed  to  be  standing  on  a rocky  island 
in  the  midst  of  a boundless  sea.  We  afterward  learned  that 
a storm  was  raging  in  the  neighboring  valley.  Before  long, 
however,  the  sun’s  rays  pierced  the  mist,  and  it  grew  so 
warm  that  we  were  obliged  to  discard  our  blankets. 

Popocatepetl  is  to-day  owned  by  a company,  and  until 
recently  a large  force  of  peons  were  employed  in  mining  the 
sulphur,  of  which  there  are  enormous  quantities  visible; 
but  the  work  of  mining  is  extremely  difficult,  because  the 
miners  suffer  greatly  from  exposure  and  the  strain  resulting 
from  the  high  altitude.  Work  was  abandoned  a short  time 
ago  owing  to  these  conditions  and  the  difficulties  of  trans- 
portation. When  Cortes  invaded  Mexico,  he  obtained 
the  sulphur  for  making  his  gunpowder  from  the  , crater  of 
Popocatepetl,  some  of  his  adventurous  followers  scaling 
the  mountain  and  bringing  down  a large  supply. 

The  sulphur  miners,  after  work,  used  to  seat  themselves 
on  mats  of  rushes,  give  themselves  a push  and  whiz  down 
over  the  snow-field  in  a couple  of  minutes.  There  is  said 
to  be  no  danger  in  this  feat,  and  many  tourists  have  under- 
taken it.  But  the  snow  at  the  time  of  our  visit  was  frozen 
into  hummocks  like  the  waves  of  a choppy  sea,  so  we  had 
to  trudge  down  on  foot.  Having  lunched  on  the  summit, 
we  commenced  our  descent,  reaching  Tlamacas  a little  after 
three  o’clock,  and  after  a brief  rest  mounted  our  mules 
and  resumed  our  journey  downwards  to  El  Paraje,  where 


IN  THE  CBATER  OF  POPOCATEPETL 


335 


we  spent  the  night.  Next  day  we  were  back  in  Amecameca 
again.  All  our  faces  were  reddened  and  burned  by  the  glare 
from  the  snow-fields,  and  our  bodies  ached  from  the  fatigue 
we  had  undergone,  but  otherwise  we  felt  none  the  worse 
for  our  climb. 

Before  leaving  Amecameca  I visited  the  famous  sacred 
mountain,  which  is  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town.  Here,  in 
a deep  cave  which  served  as  a hermitage,  once  lived  the 
good  friar  Martin  de  Valencia,  one  of  the  ^Hwelve  apostles 
of  Mexico,’^  who  was  sent  by  Pope  Adrian  the  Sixth  as  a 
missionary  to  the  Indians,  with  the  title  of  “ Vicar  of  New 
Spain. After  many  years  of  faithful  service  he  died, 
deeply  revered  by  his  flock,  and  was  buried  at  Tlalmanalco ; 
but  it  is  said  that  the  Indians  secretly  removed  his  body 
and  buried  it  in  the  cave.  A legend  says  that,  years  after 
his  death,  a mule,  bearing  an  image  of  the  Virgin  intended 
for  the  parish  church,  stopped  at  the  cave  and  refused  to 
budge.  This  was  regarded  as  a miraculous  sign  that  the 
image  was  to  be  deposited  there,  and  there  it  has  remained 
ever  since.  It  is  removed  once  a year,  on  Ash  Wednesday, 
when  it  is  taken  down,  with  great  pomp,  to  the  church  and 
placed  on  the  high  altar.  On  Good  Friday  it  is  carried  back 
to  the  cave.  This  is  the  occasion  of  a great  fiesta  at  Ame- 
cameca, and  visitors  from  all  parts  of  Mexico  come  to  see 
the  passion  play  which  is  enacted  in  the  town  shortly  before 
the  image  is  taken  back  to  the  shrine.  The  representation 
of  the  Crucifixion  by  Indian  actors  is  a wonderful  sight. 

The  play  is  opened  by  a body  of  horsemen  enacting  the 
role  of  centurions,  who  call  upon  the  people  to  attend  the 
sacred  ceremony ; whereupon  the  vast  multitude  of  Indian 
spectators  makes  a general  movement  to  a hill  near  the 
church,  supposed  to  represent  Calvary,  preceded  by  the 
various  characters  in  the  mystic  drama.  On  the  way  to 
the  hill  a continuous  roar  goes  up  from  the  excited  mob, 


336 


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and  the  representative  of  Judas  is  unmercifully  pummelled 
and  kicked.  At  the  head  of  this  strange  procession  walks 
the  Indian  representing  the  Saviour,  staggering  under  the 
weight  of  a heavy  cross,  scourged  and  reviled  by  a number 
of  other  Indians  representing  the  Jews.  When,  at  last,  the 
cross  has  been  erected,  and  he  has  been  raised  and  lashed 
to  it,  the  air  is  rent  with  shrieks  and  yells,  and  a general 
fight  often  follows  between  the  representatives  of  the  Chris- 
tians and  Jews,  the  latter  barely  escaping  with  their  lives. 

Another  weird  scene  is  enacted  at  night  when  the  sacred 
image  is  conveyed  up  the  mountain  side,  escorted  by  a great 
multitude  with  torches,  joining  at  intervals  in  a wild  chant, 
while  many  of  the  devout  crawl  on  their  knees  up  the  rocky 
path. 

Upon  my  return  to  Mexico  City,  where  I arrived  in  the 
evening,  I went  to  the  Hotel  Sanz.  I was  surprised  to 
find  this  place  in  festal  array,  with  its  patio  decorated  with 
American  and  Mexican  flags,  and  a large  floral  shield  bear- 
ing the  words,  Welcome,  Shriners.^^  On  inquiry  I learned 
there  was  another  American  invasion  in  progress,  five 
hundred  members  of  the  masonic  order,  the  Mystic  Shriners, 
having  come  down  to  Mexico  from  the  States  to  make  a 
tour  through  the  country  and  arouse  interest  in  shrining. 
The  local  newspapers  were  full  of  their  doings.  They  were 
headed  by  the  officers  of  the  order,  who  were  called  ‘^The 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  while  the  chief  officer  bore  the 
imposing  title  of  ^^The  High  Imperial  Potentate. Many 
of  the  members  had  brought  their  wives  and  daughters,  so 
that  there  was  a very  large  party.  The  wives  of  some  of 
the  Shriners  seemed  to  take  great  delight  in  their  husbands^ 
titles  and  the  pomp  and  paraphernalia  of  the  order.  On 
the  other  hand,  I heard  one  irreverent  Shriner,  possessed  of 
the  Western  craze  for  abbreviation,  remark  to  an  acquaint- 
ance, “Say,  old  man,  where's  the  Imp.  Pot.  stopping?" 


IN  THE  CRATER  OF  POPOCATEPETL 


387 


0,  great  and  imperial  potentate,  to  think  that  a Shriner 
should  have  dared  to  brave  the  awful  curses  of  the  mystic 
shrine  by  dubbing  you  Imp.  Pot.'^ 

At  their  meetings  the  Shriners  wore  a sort  of  Turkish 
costume  with  a red  fez,  and  they  greeted  each  other  with 
the  word  Salaam. Next  day,  the  President  gave  them 
audience  at  the  National  Palace,  receiving  what  the  Shriners 
called  a grand  salaam,^’  and  being  presented  with  a 
jewelled  fez.  He  was  also  enrolled  as  a member  of  the  or- 
ganization. During  their  stay  in  the  city  the  ladies  of  the 
Shriner  party  conducted  a bazaar,  which,  for  some  reason 
unknown  to  ordinary  mortals,  was  called  a Jamaica’^  — 
probably  some  mystic  term  only  to  be  understood  by  the 
initiated. 

The  Shriners  not  only  saw  the  sights  of  the  capital,  but 
went  in  special  trains  to  Cuernavaca  and  other  places. 
With  this  swarm  of  American  tourists  in  the  city,  San 
Francisco  Street  seemed  more  like  the  main  street  of  an 
American  town  than  the  leading  thoroughfare  of  the  Mex- 
ican capital.  The  curio  shops,  the  dulcerias,  and  the  big 
department  stores  all  did  a rushing  business.  My  admira- 
tion for  Mexico’s  President  increased,  too,  at  this  time. 
Half  the  American  tourists  were  anxious  to  see  him 
and  grasp  his  hand  in  the  same  way  as  they  treat  their  own 
President  when  they  go  to  Washington.  Some  of  them, 
with  an  eye  to  business,  sought  special  interviews  with  the 
President  to  interest  him  in  some  gold-mining  project,  a 
meat-canning  factory,  an  automobile,  or  even  to  reveal  to 
him  the  wonders  of  a new  patent  medicine  or  hair-restorer. 
That  so  many  of  them  succeeded  certainly  showed  a won- 
derful amount  of  good  nature  on  the  part  of  Mexico’s  great 
ruler. 

Before  I left  the  city,  nearly  fifty  women  from  the 
Western  States,  mostly  widows,  came  down  in  a body  to 


338 


MEXICO 


see  Mexico^  led  by  a very  determined-looking  female  who 
had  organized  them  into  a sort  of  women’s  travel  club.  All 
of  them  wanted  to  see  the  President.  I overheard  one  lady 
remark,  Say,  if  that  President  objects  to  seeing  us  ladies, 
well,  there’s  going  to  be  trouble,  that’s  all.”  The  President 
must  have  considered  it  unsafe  to  refuse,  for  he  received 
them  all  at  the  palace  the  next  day.  Hero  as  well  as 
statesman,  I say;  for  a man  brave  enough  to  face  fifty 
determined  women,  mostly  widows,  is  surely  well  fitted 
to  rule  a nation  ! 

One  afternoon  a young  woman  belonging  to  this  party 
entered  the  hotel  writing-room  in  which  I was  sitting;  a 
giddy-looking  girl  with  light,  fluffy  hair,  and  rather  over- 
dressed. She  seemed  to  be  quite  excited.  ‘^Oh,  say,” 
she  remarked  to  one  of  the  older  women  of  somewhat 
prim  and  old-maidish  appearance,  had  such  a funny 
experience  on  San  Francisco  Street  just  now.  A young 
Mexican  with  big  black  eyes  followed  me  and  another  girl. 
He  was  one  of  them  Mexican  dudes  — lagerteegys  they  call 
’em.  He  kept  a-saying  all  sorts  of  things  like  ^hermosy’ 
and  ^dulcy.’  The  girl  I was  with  understood  Spanish,  and 
she  said  he  was  a-saying  ‘ beautiful  girl,’  ‘lovely  eyes,’ 
‘sweetness.’  Say,  wasn’t  it  funny?”  The  elderly  lady 
gave  a snort  of  contempt  and  disapproval.  “ / should  just 
like  to  see  one  of  those  lagerteegys  follow  me  and  say  such 
things,”  she  retorted.  The  girl  went  off  giggling,  and  com- 
menced singing,  “Oh,  take  me  back  to  New  York  town.” 
A few  minutes  later  I heard  her  remark  to  a friend  out  in 
the  patio,  ‘‘Say,  did  you  hear  what  she  said?  Why,  she 
said  she’d  like  to  see  one  of  them  lagerteegys  follow  her. 
Well,  I guess  if  a lagerteegy  ever  did  he’d  never  escape.” 


CHAPTER  XXII 


GUADALAJARA  THE  WONDERFUL 

‘^Give  me  a ticket  to  that  place,  please/’  said  an  Ameri- 
can tourist  to  the  booking-clerk  at  the  Mexican  Central 
Railway  office.  The  man  from  the  States  held  out  a rail- 
way guide  in  which  he  had  marked  the  name  of  the  place 
to  which  he  wished  to  travel;  for  he  had  serious  doubts 
about  the  correct  pronunciation  of  it. 

You  want  a ticket  to  Guadalajara,”  replied  the  clerk, 
but  he  pronounced  it  something  like  “Wahda-la-hara.” 

This  beautiful  city  with  the  perplexing  name  has  a popu- 
lation of  over  a hundred  thousand,  is  three  hundred  and 
eighty  miles  northwest  of  Mexico  City  and  is  not  far  from 
the  Pacific  coast.  It  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  hand- 
somest, the  cleanest,  and  most  cheerful  of  Mexican  cities; 
it  is  also  acknowledged  to  be  next  in  importance  to  the 
capital,  although  Puebla  has  long  claimed  that  honor. 

The  wonderful  progress  that  Mexico  has  made  within 
recent  years  is  strikingly  exemplified  in  the  case  of  Guada- 
lajara, which,  less  than  twenty  years  ago,  was  a sleepy,  back- 
ward place  but  little  known  to  the  outside  world.  The 
nearest  railway  was  then  some  distance  away,  and  travellers 
from  the  capital  were  obliged  to  make  a large  part  of  the 
journey  in  slow,  uncomfortable  stage-coaches.  To-day, 
Guadalajara  has  become  a busy,  cosmopolitan  city  and  an 
important  railway  centre;  while  on  account  of  its  great 
manufacturing  industries  it  might  be  appropriately  called 
the  Manchester  of  Mexico. 


339 


340 


MEXICO 


The  Mexican  Central  Railway  maintains  a good  service 
of  trains  between  Mexico  City  and  Guadalajara,  so  that  the 
journey  can  be  made  in  absolute  comfort  if  not  with  exces- 
sive speed.  I left  the  capital  at  eight  o^ clock  one  evening 
and  reached  Guadalajara  at  one  the  next  afternoon,  making 
the  journey  in  a comfortable  Pullman  car. 

For  most  of  the  distance  the  railway  traverses  the  great 
central  plateau,  and  the  country,  as  seen  from  the  train, 
presented  the  usual  vista  of  arid  lands,  dry,  yellow  grass 
and  occasional  green,  irrigated  fields.  Forming  a distant 
background  to  these  typical  highland  scenes  were  the  out- 
lines of  a range  of  reddish,  barren  mountains  which  some- 
times assumed  fantastic  shapes  and  were  evidently  of  vol- 
canic origin.  Most  of  the  watercourses  were  dry,  but  once 
or  twice  we  crossed  small  streams  and  one  winding,  shallow 
river  of  fair  size.  Very  few  towns  or  villages  are  to  be 
seen  on  the  way,  the  majority  of  those  along’  the  route 
being  hidden  among  the  hills  a little  distance  from  the 
line.  Sometimes  there  would  be  a mule-car  at  the  way- 
side  stations  to  take  travellers  to  some  invisible  town. 

This  part  of  Mexico,  including  the  State  of  Jalisco,  of 
which  Guadalajara  is  the  capital,  was  originally  called  Nueva 
Galicia  by  the  Spanish  colonists  who  settled  there  in  1530. 
Most  of  these  colonists  came  from  Andalusia,  and  the  pleas- 
ant manners  and  light-hearted  ways  of  their  descendants 
are  still  typical  of  sunny  Spain.  The  wometi,  too,  have 
the  reputation  of  being  the  most  beautiful  in  Mexico. 
Guadalajara  was  founded  in  1540,  and  was  called  Espiritu 
Santo,  but  was  afterwards  given  its  present  name,  after 
Wadal-il-harah,  the  Moorish  capital.  In  this  part  of  the 
country  there  are  many  delightful  towns  and  villages,  with 
fine  old  churches  and  other  substantial  buildings  left  as 
mementos  of  Spanish  domination. 

Guadalajara  certainly  merits  its  reputation  of  being  the 


GUABALAJAHA  THE  WONDERFUL 


341 


most  beautiful  city  in  Mexico.  It  is  a bright,  clean  town 
with  wide  asphalted  streets  and  handsome  white  stone  build- 
ings, which,  in  the  principal  thoroughfares,  are  mostly  in 
the  modern  Spanish  style.  Looking  down  the  broad  streets, 
one  sees  a distant  vista  of  mountains;  for  Guadalajara  lies 
in  the  midst  of  a plain  with  mountains  rising  around  it. 
The  streets  run  at  right  angles,  intersecting  a number  of 
parks  and  plazas  filled  with  shady  tropical  trees  and  re- 
splendent with  flowers.  If  there  are  any  slum  streets  in 
the  city,  they  are  very  carefully  concealed.  I saw  none. 
The  peons  whom  I encountered  in  the  highways  and  by- 
ways also  seemed  to  partake  of  the  general  cleanliness  of  the 
place;  they  looked  much  more  intelligent  than  any  I had 
seen  before. 

Not  only  is  Guadalajara  a beautiful  city,  but  it  is  a busy 
commercial  place.  In  the  principal  streets  there  are  good 
shops  of  all  kinds,  numerous  banks  and  commercial  agen- 
cies, and  other  outward  signs  of  wealth  and  prosperity. 

From  its  appearance  no  one  would  imagine  Guadalajara 
to  be  an  important  manufacturing  place;  there  are  no 
huge  chimneys  belching  forth  black  smoke  such  as  are  seen 
in  our  manufacturing  towns.  The  fact  is  that  all  the 
machinery  in  the  local  factories  is  driven  by  the  same 
electrical  power  which  lights  the  streets  and  runs  the  street 
cars,  this  power  being  generated  by  the  great  falls  of  the 
Lerma  River  a few  miles  distant.  Here,  again,  is  evidence 
of  the  wonderful  progress  that  is  being  made  in  Mexico 
in  the  utilization  of  water-power. 

In  addition  to  all  these  advantages,  Guadalajara  is  blessed 
with  one  of  the  finest  climates  in  the  world.  Like  Cuautla 
and  some  other  favored  places,  it  is  situated  at  an  altitude 
of  five  thousand  feet,  which  gives  it  an  average  temperature 
of  about  seventy  degrees  the  year  round  — a perennial 
June.  During  the  winter  months  the  city  has  probably 


342 


MEXICO 


the  driest  air  on  the  American  continent,  which,  with  its 
balmy  chmate,  makes  it  a favored  resort  for  invalids  suffer- 
ing from  bronchial  or  lung  affections.  The  early  mornings 
and  late  evenings  are  never  cold,  as  in  the  higher  altitudes, 
but  occasionally  a light  overcoat  can  be  worn  with  comfort. 

As  in  most  Mexican  cities,  the  life  of  Guadalajara  centres 
about  its  main  plaza,  which  is  famed  for  its  beauty,  its  palms, 
orange  trees,  and  tropical  flowers  being  forever  green. 
Beneath  the  portales,  which  border  two  of  its  sides,  are  a 
number  of  fine  shops  and  cafes,  and  also  facing  it  is  the 
Governor’s  Palace,  a magnificent  building  of  white  stone 
which  would  command  attention  in  any  European  capital. 
All  over  the  city  there  are  imposing  old  churches  dating  from 
early  Spanish  times,  tinted  in  beautiful  soft  colors  and  hav- 
ing wonderful  towers  and  domes.  Adjoining  the  plaza  is 
the  cathedral,  a beautiful  edifice  commenced  in  1561  and 
completed  in  1618,  with  two  tall  Gothic  towers,  wholly 
unlike  any  others  in  Mexico,  which  can  be  seen  from  a long 
distance.  The  interior  is  rich  in  decorations  and  paintings, 
and  in  the  sacristy  is  preserved  Murillo’s  ‘^Assumption,” 
for  which  $75,000  has  been  refused. 

This  picture  is  one  of  the  twenty-seven  versions  of  the 
theme  painted  by  Murillo.  When  Napoleon  invaded 
Spain,  the  clergy  of  Guadalajara,  in  testimony  of  patriotic 
devotion,  sent  King  Carlos  the  Fourth  a large  sum  of  money 
to  aid  in  the  defence  of  the  country.  In  recognition  of  this 
the  king  presented  the  cathedral  with  Murillo’s  master- 
piece from  his  collection  in  the  Escurial.  When  the  French 
were  in  Mexico  in  1864,  and  captured  Guadalajara  during 
Maximilian’s  short  reign,  they  endeavored  to  seize  the  paint- 
ing as  a trophy  for  the  Louvre,  but  it  was  concealed,  and 
even  an  offer  of  $25,000  did  not  lead  to  a revelation  of  its 
hiding-place. 

In  one  of  the  buildings  overlooking  the  main  plaza  is 


C' 


<4 


IN  GUADALAJARA. 


GUADALAJARA  THE  WONDERFUL 


343 


the  American  Club,  where  visiting  Americans  and  English- 
men are  welcomed.  There  are  quite  a number  of  Americans 
in  the  city ; they  have  started  several  churches  and  a school, 
and  there  is  an  enterprising  weekly  newspaper,  the  Jalisco 
Times.  The  well-to-do  Americans  have  established  them- 
selves in  a beautiful  quarter  where  the  wide  streets  are  lined 
with  shady  trees  and  the  houses  are  embowered  in  tropical 
foliage.  This  district,  which  is  rapidly  assuming  an  Ameri- 
canized appearance,  is  popularly  known  as  the  American 
Colony. 

On  several  evenings  during  the  week  a fine  military 
band  plays  in  the  main  plaza,  and  it  is  now  the  fashion  for 
the  elite  of  the  city  to  ride  round  and  round  while  the  con- 
cert is  in  progress,  the  promenading,  which  was  formerly 
in  vogue,  having  been  practically  discontinued.  Even  in 
these  prosaic  days  a wonderfully  picturesque  sight  is  pre- 
sented when  the  band  is  playing.  The  music,  the  balmy 
tropical  evening,  the  plaza  illuminated  with  its  many 
electric  lights,  the  palms,  flowers  and  orange  trees,  the 
peons  in  their  red  sarapes  and  sombreros,  the  lines  of  car- 
riages passing  round,  filled  with  dark-eyed  beauties  daintily 
attired  as  in  summer-time,  — all,  under  a clear  sky,  dazzling 
stars  and  a glorious  moon,  combine  to  make  a scene  of  en- 
chantment. 

There  is,  in  fact,  a good  deal  of  life  in  Guadalajara,  and 
the  atmosphere  of  the  place  is  far  more  cheerful  than  that 
of  Mexico  City.  The  climate,  too,  is  much  more  favorable 
for  outdoor  life;  and  you  can  sit  outside  a cafe  enjoying 
your  refresco  while  listening  to  the  music  in  the  plaza  with- 
out having  the  chilly  sensation  and  dread  of  pneumonia 
that  are  too  often  experienced  in  the  capital. 

Guadalajara  has  five  theatres,  one  of  them,  the  Degollado, 
being  the  largest  on  the  American  continent,  excepting, 
perhaps,  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  in  New  York.  It  is 


344 


MEXICO 


a handsome  building  much  larger  and  finer  externally  than 
any  theatre  in  the  United  States.  In  the  city  there  are 
twenty-eight  hotels  and  twenty-five  public  baths,  and 
when  it  is  remembered  that  Guadalajara  did  not  have  a 
railway  to  it  seventeen  years  ago,  these  statistics  are  inter- 
esting. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  the  city  was  en  fete,  celebrating 
one  of  the  numerous  Mexican  public  holidays.  The  busi- 
ness buildings  were  gayly  decorated  with  the  national  colors 
of  red,  white  and  green,  there  was  a civic  and  military 
procession  and  the  streets  resounded  with  the  strains  of 
music.  Itinerant  vendors  of  all  kinds  had  gathered  round 
the  plaza,  giving  the  place  quite  a festive  appearance. 
The  streets  were  thronged  with  sight-seers,  and  the  smart 
American  electric  cars  which  run  through  the  city  and  out 
to  the  suburbs  were  crowded  with  passengers. 

In  the  midst  of  this  holiday-making  a large  party  of 
Mystic  Shriners  arrived  from  Mexico  City  and  found 
quarters  at  one  of  the  large  hotels.  They  were  given  a 
luncheon  by  their  compatriots  residing  in  the  city,  and  while 
this  was  in  progress,  some  good  music  was  furnished  by  one 
of  the  local  military  bands.  In  honor  of  their  American 
visitors,  the  Mexican  musicians  played  a selection  of  Amer- 
ican national  airs,  such  as  the  Star-Spangled  Banner,  Hail 
Columbia,  and  Yankee  Doodle.  Most  of  the  Shriners  had 
a very  limited  knowledge  of  Spanish,  and  at  the  conclusion 
of  this  complimentary  pot-pourri  some  of  them  shouted 
such  appreciative  American  phrases  as  ^^Good,  good; 
bully  for  the  Mexicans,’’  while  several  enthusiasts  yelled 

Adios,  adios  ” (good-by),  evidently  thinking  that  the  word 
was  synonymous  with  Bravo.”  The  bandsmen  naturally 
understood  it  to  mean  that  the  Americans  wanted  them  to 
go,  having  had  enough  of  their  music,  so  they  commenced 
to  pack  up  their  instruments  preparatory  to  marching  off. 


GUADALAJABA  THE  WONDERFUL 


345 


It  was  only  when  the  High  Imperial  Potentate  himself 
hurried  to  the  bandmaster  and  explained  matters  with  the 
aid  of  an  interpreter  that  the  irate  musicians  were  pacified 
and  smilingly  resumed  their  playing. 

The  Shriners  were  afterwards  given  a reception  at  the 
American  Club,  all  the  members  and  their  wives  being  pres- 
ent to  meet  the  visitors  and  the  ladies  of  their  party.  It 
was  there  that  I had  an  opportunity  of  meeting  the  ^Hmp. 
Pot./^  who,  throwing  off  his  imperial  dignity  for  the  time 
being,  was  very  convivial,  told  funny  stories  in  the  smoking- 
room,  and  indeed  was  quite  the  life  of  the  party. 

Leaving  the  club  later  on  to  return  to  my  hotel,  I strolled 
across  the  plaza,  with  its  throngs  of  fashionably  dressed 
people,  and  went  along  one  of  the  quieter  streets.  Here 
I witnessed  a scene  which  furnished  a delightful  contrast  to 
the  rush  of  prosaic  modern  progress  which  is  rapidly  trans- 
forming the  ancient  City  of  Guadalajara.  A drowsy  peon 
and  his  boy  were  slowly  driving  a large  flock  of  turkeys  along 
the  street,  keeping  them  in  motion  with  the  aid  of  long 
sticks  with  which  they  occasionally  prodded  the  birds. 
This  is  one  of  the  olden  customs  of  Guadalajara  which  still 
survives,  in  spite  of  the  city’s  wonderful  up-to-dateness. 
Instead  of  going  to  a poultry  shop,  the  housekeepers 
of  Guadalajara  buy  their  turkeys  from  these  vendors  as 
they  pass  through  the  streets.  Sometimes  the  purchaser 
has  the  bird  despatched  on  the  spot,  but,  in  most  cases, 
the  turkey  is  kept  for  a week  and  fattened  until  it  is  in 
prime  condition  for  the  highly  seasoned  stew  into  which 
it  is  made. 

During  my  stay  in  the  city  I paid  a visit  to  the  Hospicio, 
one  of  Guadalajara’s  public  institutions  which  is  unique  in 
its  way.  Instead  of  being  a hospital,  as  its  name  would  in- 
dicate, it  is  an  asylum  for  the  poor  of  all  ages.  It  is  a series 
of  great  stone  buildings  covering  an  entire  square,  contains 


846 


MEXICO 


twenty-three  patios  with  fountains  and  flowers,  and  shelters 
a strange  assortment  of  humanity,  — aged  men  and  women, 
boys  and  girls  and  even  babies.  The  inmates  all  looked 
well-fed  and  cheerful,  everything  was  scrupulously  clean 
and  the  appointments  of  the  place  would  have  done  credit 
to  any  American  institution.  The  children  in  the  Hospicio 
are  given  a good  education,  and  when  they  grow  older  are 
taught  some  useful  occupation.  In  one  of  the  departments 
which  I visited,  the  girls,  mostly  Indians,  were  making  some 
beautiful  embroideries. 

Electric  traction,  which  has  done  so  much  in  developing 
the  suburbs  of  some  American  towns,  is  having  the  same 
effect  on  the  growth  of  Guadalajara,  the  laying  of  suburban 
street-railway  lines  having  caused  the  city  to  extend  in 
every  direction.  There  are  few  rides  in  the  world  which  in 
point  of  picturesqueness  can  equal  those  about  Guadala- 
jara; the  swift-moving  cars,  passing  through  fields  of  trop- 
ical vegetation  and  between  hedges  of  cactus  and  palms, 
reach  the  plain  from  which  there  are  superb  views  of  the 
lofty  mountains  and  distant  glimpses  of  the  beautiful 
white  city. 

In  the  village  of  San  Pedro,  to  which  the  cars  run,  many 
of  the  wealthy  citizens  of  Guadalajara  have  their  country 
houses,  and  some  of  these  are  very  charming.  The  famous 
Guadalajara  ware  comes  from  the  potteries  in  this  village, 
which  turn  out  all  sorts  of  water- jars  and  bottles  in  various 
beautiful  shapes.  They  also  make  little  figures  represent- 
ing almost  every  phase  of  Mexican  life,  such  as  water- 
carriers,  cargadores,  mule-drivers,  vaqueros  or  cowboys, 
colored  most  cleverly  and  wonderfully  modelled.  An  in- 
teresting collection  of  these  can  be  bought  for  a few  dollars. 
San  Pedro  is  the  home  of  two  Indian  sculptors,  the  Pan- 
duros,  father  and  son,  and  at  their  studio  a visitor  who 
wishes  to  carry  away  a souvenir  of  Guadalajara  can  have 


THE  OLD  AND  NEW. 

Street-car  lines  and  electric-light  posts  are  here  shown  in  one  of  the  old  streets 

of  Guadalajara. 


GUABALAJAnA  THE  WONDERFUL 


347 


his  bust  or  statuette  modelled  in  clay  while  he  waits.  These 
statuettes  are  wonderfully  lifelike  and  are  colored  with 
great  accuracy. 

One  morning  I went  out  to  see  the  most  wonderful  of 
Guadalajara's  local  sights,  a deep  gorge  called  the  barranca, 
about  six  miles  from  the  city.  This,  at  some  points,  has 
a depth  of  nearly  three  thousand  feet,  and  as  climate  in 
Mexico  depends  entirely  upon  altitude,  this  freak  of  nature 
enables  Guadalajara,  situated  in  the  temperate  zone,  to 
have  the  climate  and  fruits  of  the  tropics  only  six  miles 
away,  large  quantities  of  bananas,  cocoanuts  and  other 
hot-land  fruits  being  grown  in  the  depths  of  the  barranca. 
In  the  higher  lands  adjacent  to  the  city  the  fruits  and  vege- 
tables of  temperate  lands  are  grown  the  year  round,  so  that 
the  people  of  Guadalajara  are  provided  with  a bountiful 
supply  of  good  things  for  the  table. 

A small  tram-car  drawn  by  two  sturdy  mules  took  me 
to  the  beginning  of  the  barranca,  the  line  ending  at  the 
edge  of  this  great  chasm,  where  the  scenery  is  magnificent, 
somewhat  resembling  that  of  the  Grand  Canon  of  Arizona 
— a series  of  great  castellated  rocks,  frowning  precipices 
and  deep  abysses.  Mounting  a horse,  I rode  for  miles  down 
a winding  road  to  the  depths  of  the  rocky  gorge,  experi- 
encing a wonderful  change  of  climate.  At  the  top  of  the 
barranca  the  air  was  fresh  and  balmy ; at  the  bottom  of  this 
natural  hot-house  the  heat  was  tropical  in  its  intensity. 
The  ride,  however,  was  delightful,  my  rocky  path  bordering 
the  narrow  Lerma  River  which  flows  through  the  depths 
of  the  barranca,  dashing  over  the  rocks  amidst  the  tropical 
verdure  of  banana  plants,  orange  trees  and  cocoanut  palms ; 
on  either  side  the  towering  walls  of  the  gorge  rear  them- 
selves in  perpendicular  cliffs. 

From  Guadalajara  the  Mexican  Central  Railway  has  been 
extended  westward  between  one  hundred  and  fifty  and 


348 


MEXICO 


two  hundred  miles  to  Manzanillo,  an  important  port  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  With  the  completion  of  this  line  Guadala- 
jara will  now  become  still  more  important  as  a commercial 
centre,  as  the  new  ports  of  the  Pacific  coast  will  give  access 
to  the  trade  of  the  interior.  The  line  opens  up  a vast 
mining  region,  rich  in  gold,  silver,  copper  and  lead.  It 
runs  through  a fertile,  picturesque  country  of  high  moun- 
tains, small  lakes,  rolling  hills  and  broad  valleys.  The 
only  active  volcano  in  North  America  is  a few  miles  from 
the  line,  — Colima,  twelve  thousand  feet  high,  — twice  as 
high  as  Vesuvius  and  higher  than  Mount  Etna.  From 
Manzanillo  steamers  run  regularly  to  San  Francisco  and 
other  American  ports  as  well  as  to  ports  in  southern  Mexico. 
Thousands  of  cattle  are  raised  on  the  plains  west  of  Guada- 
lajara, and  in  the  hot  lands  along  the  coast  all  kinds  of 
tropical  fruits  are  grown.  In  the  State  of  Colima,  through 
which  the  railway  passes,  there  are  a large  number  of  coffee 
plantations. 

The  State  of  Jalisco,  in  which  Guadalajara  is  situated, 
is  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  Mexican  union  in  point 
of  population,  and  it  is  also  one  of  the  richest.  It  is  a won- 
derfully fertile  country,  and  having  an  abundance  of  running 
streams,  irrigation  is  carried  on  extensively ; it  is  also  well 
wooded,  some  of  the  mountain  ranges  being  covered  with 
forests  of  timber  suitable  for  all  purposes.  While  manu- 
facturing, agriculture  and  cattle-raising  have  hitherto  been 
the  main  industries  of  Jalisco,  mining  now  bids  fair  to  take 
a foremost  place.  In  recent  years  some  rich  mines  of  copper 
and  other  minerals  have  been  developed  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State,  on  the  route  of  the  new  railway  extension. 

Many  of  the  members  of  the  American  Club  whom  I 
met  in  Guadalajara  were  engaged  in  mining  in  the  moun- 
tains west  of  the  city,  and  were  enthusiastic  concerning  the 
mineral-producing  possibilities  of  the  country.  The  future 


GUADALAJARA  THE  WONDERFUL 


349 


development  of  these  great  states  of  Jalisco  and  Colima 
offer  wonderful  opportunities  for  the  investment  of  capital, 
and  undoubtedly  this  part  of  Mexico  is  destined  to  be  one 
of  the  richest  countries  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Mining  developments  in  the  neighborhood  of  Guadala- 
jara have  brought  there  the  usual  number  of  ^^men  with 
schemes.^’  Strolling  round  the  plaza  one  evening,  I noticed 
some  Americans  of  the  Western  schemer type  seated  to- 
gether talking  very  excitedly.  As  I passed  them,  I caught 
such  remarks  as  The  biggest thing  in  Mexico ; mil- 

lions in  it.^’  One  of  the  prospective  millionaires  produced 
the  usual  piece  of  ore  from  his  pocket  and  I heard  him  say, 
^^Well,  gentlemen,  IVe  got  the  golderndest  richest  propo- 
sition here  that  you  ever  heard  of.  This  little  chunk  of 
metal  came  from  over  Colima  way  and  — wal,  there^s  just 
simply  millions  in  the  little  hole  it  came  out  of.^^  I waited 
to  hear  no  more,  but  fled.  Was  I never  to  escape  from  these 
men  of  millions  ? 

What  the  men  of  schemes  probably  did  not  know  is  the 
astounding  fact  that  some  of  the  streets  of  Guadalajara 
are  actually  paved  with  gold.  A few  years  ago,  when  the 
asphalt  company  repaved  the  city  streets,  the  asphaltum 
was  mixed  with  tailings  from  the  old  Spanish  and  Mexican 
reduction  works  in  the  Etzatlan  district  of  Jalisco.  After 
the  paving  had  been  done,  the  company’s  manager,  out  of 
curiosity,  had  a number  of  assays  made  of  the  old  tailings. 
To  his  surprise,  these  assays  revealed  the  fact  that  the 
tailings  contained  about  fifteen  dollars’  worth  of  gold  and 
silver  in  each  ton.  About  four  hundred  tons  of  tailings 
were  used  in  paving,  so  the  net  amount  of  gold  and  silver 
laid  in  the  streets  represented  over  $6000. 

On  leaving  Guadalajara,  I took  the  train  to  Atequiza,  a 
village  about  forty  miles  from  the  city,  the  nearest  station  to 
Lake  Chapala,  where  I had  arranged  to  spend  a week-end. 


350 


MEXICO 


There  are  few  important  rivers  and  lakes  in  Mexico,  but 
two  of  the  latter,  Chapala  and  Patzcuaro,  are  famous  for 
their  great  size  and  beauty.  Chapala  is  becoming  a popular 
resort  for  visitors  from  all  parts  of  Mexico.  From  Ate-* 
quiza  an  old-fashioned  stage-coach  drawn  by  eight  mules 
takes  travellers  to  the  village  of  Chapala  on  the  shores  of 
the  lake. 

Between  Atequiza  and  Guadalajara  there  is  a large 
hacienda  through  which  the  railway  runs  for  several  miles, 
and  being  so  close  to  the  city,  this  property  has  become 
extremely  valuable.  It  employs  an  army  of  peons,  and  on 
its  farms  are  grown  all  kinds  of  fruits  and  vegetables. 
There  are  broad  fields  of  grain  and  large  grazing  grounds 
for  herds  of  sheep  and  cattle.  The  stage-coach  runs  through 
one  of  the  hacienda  villages,  with  its  church,  schoolhouse, 
several  modern  mills,  ancient  granaries,  massive  dwellings 
and  adobe  huts. 

The  road  from  Atequiza  to  Chapala,  like  most  Mexican 
country  roads,  is  not  macadamized,  but  is  full  of  rocks  and 
ruts  which  toss  the  old  coaches  about  like  ships  in  a stormy 
sea.  Lucky  are  those  passengers  who  get  outside  seats, 
for  those  who  ride  inside  are  almost  choked  with  dust 
before  the  journey  is  over.  Recently  some  steps  have 
been  taken  to  improve  the  public  highway  from  Guadala- 
jara to  Chapala,  and  although  the  road  would  stagger  most 
American  motorists,  several  cars  come  over  it  every  week 
from  the  city  to  the  lake. 

I sat  beside  the  stage-coach  driver,  and  was  very  much 
amused  at  the  way  in  which  he  kept  his  eight  animals  on 
the  move  with  constant  cracks  of  his  long  whip  and  frequent 
trilling  a-r-r-es,  which  he  would  vary  with  shouts  of  ^^mula, 
macho”  — mula  being  the  female,  and  macho  the  male, 
mule.  How  they  ever  managed  to  drag  the  great  lumber- 
ing stage-coach,  with  its  load  of  passengers  and  luggage, 


GUABALAJABA  THE  WONDERFUL 


351 


I could  not  understand.  A German  mechanical  engineer 
who  was  my  fellow-passenger,  remarked  to  me,  ^^This  coach 
is  typical  of  old  Mexico.  They  use  it  simply  because  their 
forefathers  used  a coach  of  this  kind.  It’s  a big  load  in 
itself  without  any  extra  weight.  A light  American  coach 
would  get  over  the  ground  in  half  the  time  and  stand  the 
wear  and  tear  just  as  well;  but  these  fellows  wouldn’t 
think  of  using  one  because  ^ no  es  costumbre,’  it  isn’t  the  cus- 
tom.” The  only  redeeming  trait  that  I could  see  about  the 
old  vehicle  was  that  it  was  picturesque.  It  was  unwieldy 
and  uncomfortable,  being  hung  upon  leather  bands  instead 
of  steel  springs,  and  jolting  so  much  that  the  unfortunate 
passengers  inside  had  to  be  strapped  in  their  seats  to  keep 
them  in  their  places. 

So  we  swayed  and  jolted  over  the  rough  road,  bordered 
with  low  stone  walls  dividing  the  cultivated  fields  from  the 
highway,  winding  up  and  down  hill  amongst  rocky  moun- 
tains until,  in  the  distance,  we  saw  the  glistening  waters  of 
Chapala  melting  away  to  the  horizon;  by  the  side  of  the 
lake  was  nestling  the  village  of  Chapala,  set  in  a little  oasis 
of  green  verdure,  and  towering  above  the  housetops  were 
the  two  beautiful  spires  of  the  parish  church.  A few  miles 
more  and  we  clattered  down  the  main  street,  over  the 
rough  cobble-stones,  to  the  door  of  the  hotel. 

There  are  three  hotels  at  Chapala,  all  very  much  alike. 
I found  quarters  at  the  Arzapalo,  a rambling  stone  building 
of  two  stories,  a few  feet  from  the  lake  and  commanding 
some  beautiful  views.  Although  somewhat  crude  in  a few 
minor  particulars,  the  place  was  comfortable  and,  for  a 
Mexican  hotel  at  least,  unusually  well  managed. 

Very  few  Americans  have  ever  heard  of  Lake  Chapala, 
although  it  is  one  of  the  largest  lakes  in  the  world.  It 
is  seventy  miles  long,  east  and  west,  and  twenty  miles  across 
at  some  points,  covering  a superficial  area  of  a thousand 


352 


MEXICO 


square  miles.  It  has  an  altitude  of  about  five  thousand 
feet  and  is  surrounded  by  mountains,  some  of  which  are  over 
ten  thousand  feet.  They  are  covered  with  scrubby  trees 
and  vegetation  of  various  hues  that  add  much  to  the  beauty 
of  the  scenery. 

All  along  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and  in  the  Lerma  River 
which  runs  into  it,  hundreds  of  peons  are  employed  in 
gathering  and  burning  yellow  water-lily  which  has  invaded 
the  waters.  A few  years  ago  some  imbecile  planted  a 
quantity  of  the  lily  in  the  river,  thinking  it  would  look 
pretty.  In  an  incredibly  short  time  it  spread  like  wildfire ; 
some  of  the  streams  were  completely  choked  with  it,  and 
when  I visited  Chapala  the  river  was  covered  in  places 
with  green  masses  of  the  plant.  It  had  spread  all  along  the 
lake  when  the  Mexican  government  took  the  matter  in 
hand  and  appropriated  a large  sum  of  money  for  its  destruc- 
tion. At  night,  fires  can  be  seen  blazing  along  the  shores 
of  the  lake  where  the  peons  have  collected  and  are  burning 
large  piles  of  the  noxious  weed. 

The  village  of  Chapala  is  built  on  the  northern  shore  of 
the  lake,  where  a sloping,  sandy  beach  makes  a capital 
bathing  place.  The  narrow  streets  centre  at  a tiny  plaza 
adorned  with  orange  trees  and  other  tropical  vegetation. 
Here  on  Sundays  the  market  is  held,  and  picturesque  natives 
from  the  surrounding  country  pour  into  the  little  town  and 
gather  there.  A number  of  pretty  villas  are  dotted  along 
the  lake’s  side,  embowered  in  bougainvillea  and  hibiscus, 
palms  and  orange  trees.  On  a hill  a short  distance  from 
the  shore  some  land  has  been  divided  into  building  lots 
for  villas,  with  the  idea  of  starting  a model  American  sum- 
mer village ; but  the  price  of  the  ground  is  so  high  — about 
11000  per  lot  — that  very  few  purchasers  had  been  found. 

A rude  pier  of  rough  stones  extends  into  the  water,  and 
here  one  can  embark  in  a rowing  or  sailing  boat  or  a naphtha 


GUADALAJARA  THE  WONDERFUL 


353 


launch  and  take  trips  up  and  down  the  lake.  There  are 
one  or  two  old-fashioned  steamers  on  it,  but  they  do  not 
make  regular  runs  and  have  to  be  chartered  for  special 
trips.  There  are  also  a number  of  small  fishing  schooners. 
The  little  village,  with  its  big  white  church  and  mountain- 
ous background,  bears  a wonderful  resemblance  to  some 
of  the  lake  villages  in  northern  Italy,  and  makes  a most 
beautiful  picture.  This  little  bit  of  the  lake  might  be  taken 
for  a scene  on  Como ; but  the  waters  of  Chapala  are  slightly 
yellowish  instead  of  blue.  The  lake,  too,  is  very  shallow, 
and  for  this  reason  the  government  has  prohibited  its  waters 
being  used  for  irrigation. 

In  the  lake  there  are  some  small  white  fish  (pescados 
blancos)  which  are  caught  with  nets,  but  there  is  nothing 
to  tempt  the  angler.  The  Mexican  government  is  now 
stocking  the  waters  with  trout,  bass,  perch  and  other  game 
fish,  which  may  eventually  make  the  lake  more  attractive 
to  lovers  of  the  rod  and  reel;  but  the  Indians  along  the 
shore  are  such  inveterate  netters  that  it  will  be  very  diffi- 
cult to  breed  the  fish. 

For  the  sportsman  Chapala  is  far  more  attractive.  Lying 
along  some  parts  of  the  lake  are  extensive  flats  that  are 
overflowed  at  high  water.  During  the  winter  months  these 
swamps  are  favorite  resorts  for  myriads  of  feathered  visitors 
from  the  north,  ducks  of  all  kinds  and  sizes,  snipe,  plover, 
geese,  swans,  and  in  fact  all  varieties  of  birds  that  like 
muddy  creeks  and  shallow  waters  here  congregate  and 
fatten.  While  I was  in  Chapala  a retired  English  naval 
officer,  who  had  been  cruising  about  the  lake,  brought  in 
thirty  geese  one  evening,  the  result  of  only  one  day’s  shoot- 
ing. He  said  that  Chapala  afforded  the  finest  wild-fowl 
shooting  that  he  had  ever  enjoyed  in  his  travels. 

Chapala  is  beautiful  at  all  times,  but  is  particularly 
charming  as  the  day  wanes;  in  fact,  it  is  famous  for  its 


354 


MEXICO 


sunsets.  The  great  expanse  of  waters  with  its  mountainous 
background  then  becomes  a thing  of  wondrous  beauty. 
As  night  falls  a stiff  breeze  generally  springs  up,  which  makes 
the  air  very  fresh  and  invigorating.  Then  the  waters  of 
the  lake  dash  on  the  shore  and  break  over  the  pier  in  marked 
contrast  to  their  placid  appearance  in  the  daytime. 

A short  distance  along  the  shore,  within  sight  of  the  beau- 
tiful electric-lighted  villas,  there  is  another  of  those  queer 
contrasts  so  often  met  with  in  Mexico.  Here  is  a little 
village  of  Indian  fishermen  who  live  in  huts  or  wigwams 
of  rushes  and  adobe,  some  of  the  fishing  houses  being  built 
on  piles  in  the  lake  like  those  of  the  prehistoric  lake-dwellers 
in  Switzerland.  These  Indians  are  the  descendants  of  the 
fierce  Chapaltecos,  one  of  the  last  tribes  subdued  by  the 
Spaniards.  At  sunset  these  wild-looking  creatures,  in 
very  scanty  raiment,  can  be  seen  casting  their  nets  in  the 
lake  and  catching  the  small  white  fish,  which  they  sell  in 
the  neighborhood.  To  visit  this  place  when  the  sun  is 
setting,  and  see  the  weird  figures  flitting  about  beneath 
the  semitropical  foliage,  conversing  in  low  tones  in  their 
ancient  dialect,  living  the  most  primitive  of  lives,  makes 
it  almost  impossible  to  realize  that  hardly  a mile  away 
are  comfortable  hotels,  newspapers,  the  telegraph,  the 
telephone,  a railway,  Pullman  cars  and  other  adjuncts  of 
latter-day  civilization. 


QUAINT  OLD  GUANAJUATO. 

Where  much  foreign  capital  is  invested  in  silver-mining. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


^^THE  SILVER  CITY ’’ 

From  the  days  of  the  Spanish  Conquest,  Mexico  has  taken 
the  lead  as  a silver-producing  country;  it  is  pretoinently 
the  land  of  silver,  and  it  has  furnished  fully  one-third  of  the 
world’s  supply  of  this  precious  metal.  Silver  is  found  al- 
most everywhere  in  the  country,  but  the  richest  mines  are 
those  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ancient  city  of  Guanajuato. 
From  these  wonderful  mines  came  a large  part  of  the  treas- 
ure which  helped  to  build  up  the  great  Spanish  empire; 
and  much  of  the  glittering  white  metal  was  coined  into  those 
huge  pieces  of  eight  which  figure  so  prominently  in  pirate 
stories.  It  is  to  its  great  mining  industry  that  Guanajuato 
owes  its  existence  and  its  prosperity,  and  to-day  it  is  popu- 
larly known  as  ^Hhe  silver  city.” 

It  was  to  this  interesting  place  that  I set  out  on  leaving 
Lake  Chapala.  Jolting  back  to  Atequiza  in  the  old  stage- 
coach one  morning,  I took  the  train  southward  136  miles 
to  the  junction  of  Iripuato,  which  I reached  late  in  the 
afternoon.  Iripuato,  a pretty  little  town  with  a population 
of  twenty  thousand,  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a rich  farm- 
ing country,  wheat,  maize,  fruit,  vegetables  and  various 
other  products  of  the  temperate  zone  being  grown  on  the 
haciendas.  To  Mexicans  the  name  of  Iripuato  is  synony- 
mous with  strawberries,  as  that  delicious  fruit  is  grown  there 
all  the  year  round  and  sold  every  day  in  the  year.  Swarms 
of  peons  with  large  basketfuls  of  luscious  berries  surround 
the  trains  when  they  arrive,  offering  their  wares  for  sale. 

355 


356 


MEXICO 


On  changing  at  Iripuato,  a train  of  the  Mexican  National 
Railway  took  me  to  Silao  in  about  an  hour,  where  there  was 
a change  to  another  train  and  a ride  of  about  half  an  hour 
to  Marfil.  It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  I left  the  train 
there.  A cargador  piloted  me  to  the  outside  of  the  station, 
where  there  were  three  little  street-cars,  one  first-class  and 
two  second-class,  each  drawn  by  two  mules.  The  first- 
class  car  was  already  packed  with  passengers,  and  I had  to 
stand  on  the  rear  platform,  which  was  also  crowded.  We 
started  off  at  a good  pace,  rattling  down  an  unlighted 
country  road.  Occasionally,  in  the  semi-darkness,  I could 
catch  a glimpse  of  rolling  hills  on  each  side  of  the  road, 
quaint  stone  bridges  over  a rushing  stream,  and  square, 
massive  stone  buildings  which  a fellow-passenger  informed 
me  were  silver-reduction  works. 

Although  Guanajuato  has  a population  of  over  forty 
thousand,  and  is  an  important  city,  the  railway  when  I 
arrived  there  was  still  three  miles  distant,  and  this  little 
street-car  was  the  only  means  of  getting  passengers  and  their 
baggage  into  the  place.  A large  force  of  men  were  at  work, 
however,  extending  the  line  into  the  city,  where  a station 
was  being  built. 

The  unlighted,  dusty  road  eventually  gave  place  to  the 
narrow,  cobble-paved,  electric-lighted  streets  of  the  city. 
Along  the  way  were  houses  and  business  buildings  of  the 
usual  Mexican  type,  built  of  stone  or  stucco,  with  barred 
windows,  balconies  and  flat  roofs,  but  looking  much  more 
dingy  and  ancient  than  any  I had  yet  seen.  The  streets 
were  thronged  with  blanketed  natives,  and  there  seemed 
to  be  an  unusually  large  number  of  street  vendors  squat- 
ting beside  their  little  stalls,  selling  fruit,  dulces  and  other 
articles.  At  first  sight  Guanajuato  seemed  to  be  a typical 
city  of  the  past.  Unlike  Guadalajara,  there  were  no  smart 
modern  buildings  in  the  principal  streets,  no  swift-moving 


357 


“T^TE  SILVEB  CITY"’' 

electric  cars,  no  asphalt  paving ; and  the  whole  place  seemed 
to  be  enveloped  in  a drowsy,  old-world  atmosphere. 

I went  to  an  American  hotel,  which  was  the  usual  old 
Spanish  mansion  slightly  transformed.  In  its  palmy  days 
it  must  have  been  quite  a palatial  residence,  this  rambling 
old  building,  with  all  sorts  of  queer  corridors  and  a large 
central  patio  where  there  was  a moss-covered  fountain  and 
bright  flowers.  It  was  quaint  and  rather  crude  in  its  ap- 
pointments, but  comfortable  enough,  and  the  meals  were 
well  cooked  and  served. 

Guanajuato  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Mexico 
City,  and  is  the  capital  of  the  State  of  the  same  name.  It 
has  an  altitude  of  nearly  seven  thousand  feet,  so  that  its 
climate  is  not  so  uniform  as  that  of  Guadalajara,  the  days 
being  usually  warmer,  while  the  nights  and  mornings  are 
much  colder.  Built  in  a deep,  narrow  valley  or  gulch  be- 
tween the  mountains,  the  situation  of  the  city  bears  some 
resemblance  to  that  of  the  lower  town  of  Carlsbad;  but 
the  surrounding  mountains,  unlike  those  at  Carlsbad,  are 
sun-baked,  treeless  and  overgrown  with  cactus. 

The  city  derives  its  name  from  the  word  Quanashuato,'^ 
meaning  the  Hill  of  the  Frogs,  which  was  given  to  it  by  the 
Tarascan  Indians,  whose  descendants  still  inhabit  this  part 
of  Mexico.  After  the  Conquest,  the  Spaniards  altered  it 
to  Guanajuato  (pronounced  W ah-nah-wahto) , There  is  no 
extant  tradition  throwing  any  light  on  why  this  place  was 
called  the  Hill  of  the  Frogs,  unless  it  was  so  named  in  honor 
of  some  Indian  deity.  This  theory  has  gained  some  sup- 
port from  the  fact  that  a huge  frog  cut  in  stone  was  found 
during  some  excavations  in  the  city  a few  years  ago.  Silver 
mining,  the  industry  for  which  Guanajuato  is  famous,  was 
commenced  by  the  Spaniards  in  1548,  and  the  first  settle- 
ment was  started  in  1557. 

Owing  to  the  peculiar  situation  of  the  city,  very  few  of 


358 


MEXICO 


the  streets  are  level.  Craggy  mountains  rise  above  the 
housetops,  and  the  side  streets  run  up  hill,  oftentimes  hav- 
ing cobble-stone  steps.  Perched  on  the  hillsides  that  rise 
almost  perpendicularly  above  the  city  are  huts  of  adobe 
and  low,  flat-roofed,  stucco  houses,  tinted  pale  blue,  cream 
and  pink,  in  such  out-of-the-way  spots  that  you  wonder  how 
even  a goat  could  ever  reach  them.  The  whole  place,  with 
its  houses  of  antique  mould,  has  an  appearance  that 
strongly  reminds  one  of  some  city  in  the  East,  in  Egypt  or 
the  Holy  Land.  Guanajuato  is  admitted  by  travellers  to 
be  one  of  the  most  picturesque  cities  in  the  world,  and 
it  is  unlike  any  other  in  Mexico.  Many  of  its  streets 
are  irregular,  precipitous,  rock-paved  paths  upon  which 
wheeled  vehicles  are  seldom  seen,  and  down  whose  steep 
inclines  half-dressed,  picturesque  men,  women  and  children 
of  the  peon  class  contest  the  right  of  way  with  dashing 
horsemen  and  droves  of  patient  burros. 

A stone^s  throw  from  the  hotel  and  right  in  the  centre 
of  the  city  is  the  principal  plaza,  the  Jardin  de  la  Union,  a 
pretty  square  with  shady  trees  and  ever  blooming  flowers. 
Here,  three  or  four  times  a week,  good  music  is  played  by 
the  local  regimental  band.  Here,  too,  are  some  good  shops, 
one  or  two  fine  old  churches  and  a magnificent  theatre 
(el  Teatro  Juarez)  which  would  be  a credit  to  London  or 
Paris.  This  beautiful  structure  of  pale  green  stone  and 
marble,  with  a grand  portico  surmounted  with  statues,  took 
twenty  years  to  build  and  cost  over  a million  dollars.  Its 
internal  decorations  are  magnificent,  being  unsurpassed  by 
those  in  any  other  theatre  of  its  class  in  North  America. 
Near  the  plaza  is  the  Mint,  the  Governor's  Palace,  and  other 
fine  public  buildings.  Some  of  the  old  churches  have  elab- 
orately carved  fronts,  and  the  cathedral,  a beautiful  struc- 
ture in  early  Spanish  style,  has  a fine  chime  of  bells,  a 
rarity  in  Mexico. 


359 


‘‘THE  SILVER  CITY"' 

One  of  the  most  interesting  old  buildings  in  the  city  is 
the  Alhondiga  or  Castilla  de  Granaditas,  erected  in  1785 
as  a chamber  of  commerce  and  now  used  as  a prison. 
When  the  first  War  of  Independence  broke  out  in  1810, 
the  followers  of  the  Mexican  patriot  priest,  Hidalgo,  forced 
their  way  into  the  city,  and  after  a fierce  battle  captured 
the  Spanish  garrison,  which  had  taken  refuge  in  the  Alhon- 
diga. While  the  attack  was  in  progress,  Hidalgo  called 
for  a volunteer  to  go  under  the  walls  and  set  fire  to  the 
massive  doors.  A stalwart  peon  came  forward,  and  with 
a large  flat  stone  on  his  back  as  a shield  against  the  Span- 
iard's shots,  rushed  in,  torch  in  hand,  and  burned  down 
the  doors,  giving  admittance  to  Hidalgo  and  his  followers. 
Breaking  into  the  patio,  the  patriots  met  the  Spaniards 
there  and  drove  them  up  the  grand  staircase  to  the  roof, 
where  they  surrendered.  There  are  stains  still  shown 
which  are  said  to  be  those  of  blood  spilt  in  this  fight.  In 
one  of  the  halls  there  is  a statue  of  the  Indian  hero  with 
the  stone  on  his  shoulders  and  the  torch  uplifted.  After 
the  suppression  of  the  revolt,  Hidalgo  and  his  lieutenants, 
Allende,  Aldama  and  Jimenez,  were  executed  at  Chihuahua, 
when  their  heads  were  brought  to  Guanajuato  and  hung 
on  hooks  outside  the  walls  of  the  Alhondiga.  These  hooks 
are  still  to  be  seen  outside  the  old  building. 

From  the  plaza  the  narrow  streets  wind  up  hill,  revealing 
many  artistic  ^^bits"  that  recall  scenes  in  one  of  the  old 
cities  in  southern  Italy.  As  I strolled  in  this  direction 
early  in  the  morning,  there  came  down  the  cobble-paved 
highway  a constant  procession  of  barefooted  Indians  from 
the  country,  and  clattering  burros  loaded  with  all  sorts 
of  merchandise  — a wonderful  picture  of  movement  and 
color. 

At  the  plaza  I afterwards  took  a mule  tram-car  up  the 
steep,  winding  street  to  the  extreme  end  of  the  city,  where 


360 


MEXICO 


there  is  a beautiful  little  park  called  the  Presa  de  la  011a, 
in  the  middle  of  which  are  some  large  reservoirs  supplying 
the  city  with  water.  In  this  district  there  are  some  charm- 
ing houses,  and  here  is  situated  the  foreign  colony,  where  a 
number  of  well-to-do  Americans  and  some  English,  French 
and  Germans  have  established  their  homes. 

I must  award  Guanajuato  the  palm  for  having  one  of  the 
prettiest  parks  in  Mexico.  The  Presa  de  la  011a  is  sur- 
rounded with  bare,  towering  mountains  of  pinkish  hue,  along 
the  steep  sides  of  which  narrow  trails  run  out  into  the 
country.  Through  the  centre  of  the  park,  which  abounds 
in  green,  well-kept  lawns,  runs  a stream  which  comes  down 
from  the  upper  hills,  falling  from  one  reservoir  into  another 
and  forming  little  lakelets  crossed  by  bridges.  The  walls 
of  the  reservoirs  and  the  bridges  are  covered  with  vines  and 
flowers,  while  the  surrounding  houses  are  completely  em- 
bowered in  them.  Altogether  it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
spots  in  all  Mexico.  From  this  end  of  the  town,  which  is 
perched  on  the  top  of  a hill,  there  is  a splendid  view  of  the 
city,  with  its  quaint  churches,  narrow  streets  and  the  queer 
houses  on  the  hillsides. 

Returning  to  the  other  end  of  the  town,  I visited  another 
of  the  sights  of  Guanajuato,  a most  grewsome  one.  This 
is  an  underground  catacomb,  such  as  is  found  in  some 
parts  of  the  Old  World,  which  is  situated  in  the  Panteon  or 
municipal  cemetery  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town.  Under 
a broiling  sun  I climbed  up  a steep  hill  in  the  afternoon  and 
reached  this  burial-ground,  a small  square  surrounded 
with  a high  stone  wall.  In  the  middle  were  a few  humble 
graves  with  simple  headstones,  and  some  fine  monuments. 
On  two  sides,  built  in  the  walls,  were  rows  of  vaults  under 
porticos,  the  compartments  for  bodies  rising  in  tiers.  Ac- 
cording to  Mexican  burial  customs,  graves  or  vaults  are 
leased,  a certain  stipulated  sum  being  paid  for  the  first  five 


‘‘THE  SILVER  CITY 


361 


years  with  the  privilege  of  renewal.  If  at  the  end  of  that 
time  the  mourners’  grief  has  cooled  and  further  payment 
is  not  made,  the  remains  are  taken  from  the  vault  or  grave. 
If  only  bones  remain,  they  are  thrown  into  a heap  at  the 
end  of  an  arch  under  the  pavement.  Sometimes,  however, 
a body  is  preserved  and  mummified  by  the  peculiar  soil  and 
the  dry  air  of  the  climate.  In  that  case  it  is  wrapped  in 
a shroud  and  placed  standing  in  a vault  with  similar 
mummies. 

The  gate-keeper  of  the  Panteon  acted  as  my  guide  and 
revealed  to  me  the  horrors  of  this  underground  charnel- 
house.  Lifting  up  a flagstone  in  the  pavement,  he  disclosed 
a flight  of  stone  steps  by  which  we  descended  to  a large 
underground  vault,  lighted  by  some  windows  somewhere 
above.  In  one  corner  of  the  vault  was  an  enormous  pile 
of  skulls  and  bones,  and  the  stench  was  almost  overpower- 
ing. At  the  end  of  the  vault  was  a glass  door.  I looked 
through  this  and  saw  about  forty  mummies  standing  on 
their  feet,  wrapped  in  white  shrouds.  They  were,  until 
recently,  left  naked,  but  the  authorities  have  now  had  them 
draped  in  this  manner.  In  two  or  three  instances  the  cloth- 
ing in  which  the  bodies  had  been  buried  was  preserved. 
These  awful  relics  of  humanity  were  standing  in  all  kinds 
of  attitudes,  and  their  distorted  features  presented  various 
grotesque  expressions:  the  laughing  lady,  the  weeping 
lady  and  the  toothless  old  coquette  with  ghastly  leer  from 
under  her  thin  gray  hair.  A scraggy  gentleman  with  black 
beard  and  hair  leaned  against  the  wall,  meditating  on  the 
vanity  of  flesh,  while  a young  woman  with  composedly 
folded  hands  stood  in  what  Delsarte  would  have  called  the 
attitude  of  subjective  reflection  with  a half-suppressed 
yawn.  It  was  a horrible  and  ghastly  sight.  It  seemed 
such  a terrible  desecration  to  disinter  the  poor  dead  and 
to  make  them  a cheap  exhibition  for  tourists. 


362 


MEXICO 


One  of  the  ghastly  company  was  dressed  as  a vaquero  in 
full  riding-dress  of  ancient  pattern.  I afterwards  observed 
to  an  American  acquaintance  that  this  mummy  in  life  might 
have  been  a cavalier  of  old  Spain  in  pre-republican  days. 
‘^Pre-republican  nothing/'  he  retorted.  “Why,  that's  the 
mummy  of  old  man  Smith,  the  saloon-keeper  who  got  killed 
in  a fight  a few  years  ago.  His  widow  is  still  doing  business 
at  the  old  stand."  It  is  thus  that  our  prosaic  countrymen 
destroy  romance.  I was  glad  to  leave  the  evil-smelling 
vault,  registering  a vow  then  and  there  never  to  enter 
another  catacomb. 

There  are  many  grisly  stories  of  adventures  in  the  house 
of  the  dead.  One  is  of  an  American  from  Texas  who  was 
suspected  of  being  in  the  pay  of  the  French  during  Maxi- 
milian's ill-fated  attempt  to  found  an  empire.  He  was 
caught  and  robbed  by  bandits  near  Guanajuato.  Flis 
captors  then  decided  to  punish  him  for  being  a traitor  to 
Mexico;  and  in  order  to  bring  about  his  death  through 
horrible  torture,  they  conceived  the  idea  of  shutting  him 
up  in  the  mummy  vault,  where,  after  some  days,  he  was 
discovered  raving  mad. 

Like  all  Mexican  cities,  Guanajuato  is  a place  of  con- 
trasts. On  the  main  street  there  are  some  very  fair  shops 
and  several  American  agencies  for  such  goods  as  type- 
writers and  phonographs.  While  you  are  contemplating 
these  evidences  of  progress,  you  hear  a clatter  of  hoofs, 
and  a train  of  burros  comes  along  the  street  driven  by 
swarthy  Indians  in  their  picturesque  garb,  bringing  in  fruit 
and  vegetables,  or  perhaps  loads  of  silver  ore  from  the 
neighboring  mines.  But.  these  interesting  scenes  will 
soon  have  passed  away;  for  Guanajuato  before  long  will 
have  asphalted  streets  and  electric  tram-cars,  while  electric 
trains  will  bring  in  the  market  commodities  and  carry  down 
the  ore  from  the  mountains. 


A CHAMBER  OF  HORRORS. 

Mummies  in  the  vault  of  the  Pauteon  at  Guanajuato. 


363 


‘‘THE  SILVER  CITY'' 

The  increasing  number  of  Americans,  too,  cannot  fail 
to  have  some  effect  on  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
people.  I was  very  much  amused  at  overhearing  a con- 
versation between  the  son  of  my  hotel  proprietor,  who 
acted  as  clerk,  and  another  youthful  American.  They  were 
just  at  the  age  when  young  men  devote  a good  deal  of 
thought  to  the  fair  sex,  and  were  discussing  one  of  their 
friends  who  was  very  sweet  on  a Mexican  girl.  ^^Well,'^ 
observed  my  young  friend,  the  clerk,  “Mexican  girls  will 
wait  a long  time  before  theydl  catch  me  playing  bear  out- 
side a window.  If  I'm  not  good  enough  to  go  inside  the 
house,  I’m  not  going  to  play  the  fool  outside.” 

“That’s  just  what  I say,  and  I was  telling  Bob  the  same 
thing,”  remarked  the  other  young  man.  “If  he  plays  the 
bear  for  a girl,  he  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  himself.  That’s 
a thing  no  decent  American  would  ever  do.”  Evidently, 
if  the  young  ladies  of  Guanajuato  wish  to  marry  Americans, 
they  will  have  to  modify  the  popular  Mexican  bear-playing 
custom. 

As  in  other  Mexican  towns,  the  citizens  of  Guanajuato 
have  abandoned  their  promenading  in  the  plaza,  which 
formerly  gave  a touch  of  life  to  the  old  city  after  dark. 
When  the  band  played  in  the  evening,  I noticed  very  few 
women  in  the  plaza,  and  certainly  none  of  the  higher  classes. 
Plenty  of  Mexican  men  and  a good  many  Americans  were 
to  be  seen  there.  As  I strolled  round  one  evening,  I passed 
a group  of  Americans  seated  together,  talking  rather  ex- 
citedly, and  at  once  recognized  them  as  my  old  friends, 
“the  men  with  schemes.”  “ Yes,”  said  one  of  the  party,  as 

I passed,  “it’s  the  biggest proposition  in  the  whole  of 

Mexico.  Why,  man,  there’s  millions  in  it.”  I hurried 
away  to  the  seclusion  of  a quiet,  dimly  lighted  street  — 
anywhere  to  escape  from  those  omnipresent  Western  men 
of  schemes  and  visionary  wealth. 


364 


MEXICO 


But  Guanajuato  is  par  excellence  the  place  for  schemes 
connected  with  precious  metal,  and  to  describe  the 
place  without  giving  a few  details  of  the  great  silver- 
mining industry,  which  is  the  backbone  of  its  prosperity, 
would  be  like  the  play  of  Hamlet  with  the  melancholy  Dane 
left  out.  For  without  the  silver  mines  there  would  be  no 
Guanajuato. 

The  first  important  silver  mining  there  was  commenced 
by  the  Spaniards  in  1548,  when  the  San  Bernabe  vein  of  the 
famous  La  Luz  mine  was  discovered.  These  mines,  however, 
had  been  worked  by  the  Aztecs  long  before  the  Spaniards 
came.  The  fame  of  Guanajuato  as  a silver-mining  region 
grew  apace  after  the  first  operations  of  the  Spaniards; 
other  mines  were  discovered,  and  from  1548  to  the  present 
time  it  is  said  that  fully  1,500,000,000  dollars’  worth  of  sil- 
ver has  been  produced  there.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  rich- 
est mineralized  district  in  the  whole  of  Mexico. 

In  the  old  Spanish  times  the  wealthy  mine-owners  lived 
like  princes,  spending  their  money  lavishly.  Fortunes 
were  constantly  made  and  lost.  Early  in  the  last  century 
two  mines  alone,  in  the  La  Luz  district,  yielded  about  four 
million  ounces  of  silver  every  year.  The  stories  of  the 
Mexican  silver  kings  of  the  past  read  more  like  Monte  Cristo 
romances  than  the  hard  facts  of  lives  actually  lived.  Money 
was  made  so  fast  in  those  days  that  it  was  impossible  to 
spend  it  except  in  gambling,  for  the  refinements  of  luxury 
on  which  millionaires  now  lavish  their  wealth  were  then 
undreamed  of. 

A shrewd  prospector  in  the  early  days,  named  Zambrano, 
discovered  a mine  which  brought  him  immense  wealth. 
He  spent  most  of  his  time  at  the  capitals  of  Europe,  living 
as  extravagantly  as  possible,  squandering  vast  sums  at  the 
gaming  table,  but  he  managed  to  leave  a snug  little  fortune 
of  $60,000,000.  One  of  his  whims  was  to  lay  a silver  pave- 


365 


“r£TS  SILVER  CITY'' 

ment  in  front  of  his  house,  but  this  the  authorities  forbade. 
In  those  days,  too,  it  must  be  remembered  that  silver  was 
on  a parity  with  gold.  The  Conde  de  Valenciana,  who 
discovered  one  of  the  richest  mines  in  Guanajuato,  derived 
so  much  wealth  from  it  that  he  is  said  to  have  got  rid  of 
S100,000,000  in  a few  years.  Another  silver  king  sent  the 
king  of  Spain  $2,000,000  as  a Christmas  present,  and  asked 
to  be  allowed  to  build  galleries  and  portales  of  silver  around 
his  mansion.  This  request  was  refused,  the  Spanish  au- 
thorities declaring  that  such  magnificence  was  the  privilege 
of  royalty  only. 

The  Guanajuato  millionaires  eventually  became  so  wildly 
extravagant  that  one  of  the  viceroys  prohibited  their 
scattering  handfuls  of  silver  coins  as  they  rode  through  the 
streets,  because  it  increased  the  number  of  beggars  in  the 
city  and  constituted  a public  nuisance ! It  is  said  that  at 
the  present  day  there  is  a Mexican  who  owns  a mine  of 
such  wonderfully  rich  ore  that  the  entrance  to  it  is  guarded 
by  thick  stone  walls  and  steel  doors.  He  is  an  inveterate 
gambler  and  when  his  available  funds  have  disappeared,  he 
simply  hires  a few  miners  to  take  out  150,000  or  $100,000 
worth  of  silver,  which  is  very  soon  lost. 

One  of  the  famous  Mexican  mining  kings  of  the  present 
day  is  Pedro  Alvarado,  an  Indian,  known  as  the  peon 
millionaire.  A few  years  ago  some  wonderfully  rich  ore 
was  struck  in  the  Palmillo  mine  that  he  owned,  and  he 
became  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  world.  Although 
he  and  his  wife  still  dress  in  peon  clothes,  he  has  built  a 
magnificent  house,  and  being  fond  of  music,  has  filled  it  with 
musical  instruments  of  almost  every  description,  including 
a number  of  costly  pianos.  Alvarado  is  very  charitable 
and  recently  distributed  $2,000,000  among  the  poor  of 
Mexico.  He  has  given  away  several  fortunes  in  this  man- 
ner, and  during  the  past  eight  years  has  built  fifty  churches 


366 


MEXICO 


and  a hundred  schools.  Not  long  ago  he  offered  to  pay  off 
the  Mexican  national  debt,  but  altered  his  mind  when  he 
found  it  was  a little  too  big  for  even  a silver  king  to  settle. 

Until  recently,  when  foreign  capital  began  to  develop  so 
many  of  the  Mexican  mines,  the  processes  of  extracting 
gold  and  silver  were  very  slow  and  wasteful.  To-day  the 
tailings  of  many  of  the  old  Spanish  mines  are  being  worked 
over,  and  the  precious  metal  extracted  at  a good  profit. 
A few  years  ago,  some  Americans  discovered  that  the  adobe 
bricks  used  in  constructing  some  peon  huts  in  Guanajuato 
had  been  made  from  tailings  containing  a large  percentage 
of  gold  and  silver.  They  bought  the  huts,  tore  them  down 
and  extracted  the  precious  metals,  clearing  a large  sum  by 
their  enterprise. 

The  patio  process  of  silver  extraction,  discovered  by 
Bartolome  de  Medina  in  1557,  is  still  in  use  in  Guanajuato, 
although  it  is  being  gradually  supplanted  by  more  improved 
methods.  In  this  process  the  ore  is  first  crushed  into 
powder  by  great  stone  rollers  turned  by  droves  of  mules. 
It  is  then  conveyed  to  a paved  court  by  a stream  of  water 
until  the  mass,  which  resembles  thin  mortar,  is  about  two 
feet  deep.  Into  this  patio  mud,  as  it  is  called,  quicksilver 
salt  and  blue  vitriol  are  thrown.  A number  of  mules  are 
then  driven  round  it  for  hours  at  a time  until  everything 
is  well  mixed,  several  weeks  being  usually  required  to  com- 
plete this  process.  The  resulting  mass  is  next  deposited  in 
troughs  of  water,  where  the  amalgam  of  silver  and  quick- 
silver sinks  to  the  bottom,  the  metals  being  afterwards 
separated  by  a method  of  distillation.  By  the  patio  process 
it  is  asserted  that  not  more  than  ten  per  cent  of  silver  is  lost. 
Terrible  suffering,  however,  is  inflicted  on  the  poor  mules 
by  the  action  of  the  vitriolic  liquid,  which  eats  into  their 
legs  and  soon  disables  them.  All  along  the  road,  from 
Marfil  to  Guanajuato,  there  are  large  silver  haciendas  or 


SILVPJR  MINING. 

bringing  the  ore  from  the  mine  to  the  smelter. 


'./.  . .J  f A :■  .<  _:^ 


■:  ' W.  ■;•  •':■ 


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ssi  ■■' ■'  •*•  -O  V*,'  •.  WSS-. 


“ THE  SILVER  CITY 


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reduction  works,  to  which  the  ore  from  the  neighboring 
mines  is  brought  for  extraction. 

Next  to  Guanajuato,  the  richest  silver-mining  district  in 
Mexico,  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  Pachuca,  eighty-four  miles 
from  the  capital.  This  town  has  a population  of  nearly 
forty  thousand,  and  its  altitude  is  nearly  eight  thousand 
feet,  even  higher  than  Mexico  City.  Pachuca  is  a very 
windy  place ; at  times  roasting  hot,  at  others  freezing  cold, 
so  that  it  is  not  exactly  a health  resort.  It  is  the  only  town 
in  Mexico  where  there  are  houses  with  stoves  and  chimneys. 
In  the  surrounding  districts  there  are  nearly  three  hundred 
mines.  Silver  ore  was  first  discovered  there  by  a poor 
shepherd  nearly  four  hundred  years  ago,  since  which  time 
the  mines  have  been  worked  constantly  and  have  yielded 
fabulous  sums.  One  of  them.  La  Trinidad,  produced  nearly 
fifty  million  dollars’  worth  of  silver  in  ten  years.  There  is  a 
large  American  population  in  Pachuca  and  a good  many 
Englishmen  and  Canadians. 

The  Spaniards,  in  the  early  days,  worked  only  the  richest 
mines,  thinking  little  of  ore  that  did  not  yield  at  least  a 
hundred  ounces  to  the  ton.  Their  mining  operations  were 
conducted  in  a very  primitive  manner.  In  working  the 
mines,  they  constructed  great  shafts  down  which  ran  lad- 
ders, and  peons  brought  up  the  ore  in  sacks  on  their  backs. 
The  same  method  is  still  followed  in  most  of  the  mines,  the 
^^poor  Indian”  toiling  up  the  long  ladders  several  times 
a day  without  a rest,  carrying  a leather  sack  on  his  back, 
sometimes  containing  over  two  hundred  pounds  of  ore. 
In  the  early  Spanish  times  thousands  of  Indians  were 
enslaved  and  compelled  by  their  cruel  taskmasters  to  work 
in  the  mines  early  and  late,  being  flogged  if  they  refused. 
When  a mine  was  flooded,  the  peons  cleared  it  by  carrying 
up  bucketfuls  of  water.  Several  rich  mines  which  were 
abandoned  in  those  days  on  account  of  flooding  have  now 


368 


MEXICO 


been  cleared  out  and  are  again  in  operation.  Improved 
extracting  processes  and  transportation  are  also  making 
many  old  mines  profitable.  The  trains  of  burros  still  bring 
down  ore  from  the  mines,  but  are  being  gradually  sup- 
planted by  tramways. 

The  Spaniards,  in  describing  the  wealth  of  the  Aztec 
land,  did  not  mention  the  silver,  but  spoke  much  of  the  gold, 
of  which  all  the  ornaments  of  the  chiefs  were  made.  It  is 
narrated  that  Montezuma  gave  presents  of  gold  ornaments 
to  Cortes  to  the  value  of  more  than  seven  million  dollars. 
Where  these  great  quantities  of  gold  came  from  has  never 
been  discovered ; for  while  gold  in  paying  amounts  is  found 
in  many  places  combined  with  silver  and  other  minerals,  still 
the  quantity  mined  has  ever  proved  very  small  in  com- 
parison with  the  value  of  the  silver.  It  is  believed  that 
many  of  the  Indians  know  where  gold  exists  in  enormous 
quantities  in  Mexico,  the  traditions  having  been  handed 
down  from  their  forefathers;  but  for  some  unaccountable 
reason  they  keep  the  whereabouts  of  these  deposits  a pro- 
found secret. 

In  the  land  of  the  Tlapanecos  there  is  said  to  be  a gold 
deposit  of  fabulous  richness,  tradition  relating  that  the 
Indians  paid  tribute  to  their  Spanish  conquerors  in  gold 
nuggets.  All  attempts  to  discover  the  source  of  this  gold 
supply  have  been  in  vain.  It  is  related  that  the  Indians 
once  agreed  to  take  a Spanish  priest  to  the  place  on  con- 
dition that  he  made  the  journey  blindfolded.  The  wily 
old  padre  consented  to  this,  but  before  starting  tied  a small 
bag  of  Indian  corn  to  his  belt  under  his  cloak,  and  after 
every  few  steps  of  his  horse  dropped  a grain  to  the  ground, 
with  the  object  of  marking  the  way.  After  travelling  some 
distance,  the  bandage  was  taken  from  the  priest's  eyes  and 
he  was  allowed  to  look  around,  when  he  beheld  tons  of  quartz 
glistening  with  rich  yellow  gold.  As  he  stood  spellbound, 


^^THE  SILVER  CITY 


369 


contemplating  the  vast  wealth  that  was  soon  to  be  his,  an 
Indian  stepped  up  and  handed  him  a bag,  saying : Padre, 

you  lost  your  corn  on  the  way ; but  here  it  is,  every  grain/’ 
Thus  he  was  never  able  to  find  his  way  back  to  this  wonder- 
ful region,  and  the  cunning  Spaniards  were  again  outwitted 
by  the  simple  natives. 

With  the  introduction  of  railways,  improved  machinery 
and  extracting  processes,  large  quantities  of  low-grade  ores 
are  now  being  profitably  worked  in  Mexico.  Smelters  and 
works  for  the  cyanide  process  are  being  started  in  all  the 
important  mining  districts,  and  at  the  present  time  the 
mining  industry  gives  employment  to  nearly  two  hundred 
thousand  men.  Wages  are  still  very  low,  the  native  miners 
rarely  earning  more  than  fifty  cents  a day,  while  common 
labor  is  paid  only  half  that  amount.  In  the  production 
of  silver,  Mexico  is  unsurpassed  by  any  other  country,  the 
annual  output  of  the  mines  ranging  from  thirty  to  forty 
million  dollars.  As  a gold-producing  country  it  now  holds 
the  fifth  place,  the  total  output  for  1908  having  been 
valued  at  over  $18,000,000. 

Among  the  other  valuable  minerals  found  in  Mexico  are 
copper,  iron,  lead  and  graphite.  There  are  a number  of  rich 
copper  mines  in  the  country,  and  the  total  production  for 
1908  was  about  70,000  tons.  There  are  some  important 
iron  deposits  in  northern  Mexico,  especially  in  the  vicinity 
of  Durango  and  Monterey.  Lead  exists  in  great  quantities, 
and  most  of  the  graphite  used  in  the  United  States  comes 
from  Mexico.  An  abundant  supply  of  petroleum  is  being 
obtained  in  Tehuantepec  and  Tampico.  Coal  has  been 
found,  but  only  in  small  quantities,  most  of  that  used  in 
Mexico  being  brought  from  England  and  the  United  States. 
In  some  of  the  mining  districts  it  costs  fifteen  dollars  per 
ton,  and  its  high  price  has  been  a serious  obstacle  to  the 
introduction  of  modern  machinery  requiring  steam  power. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


THE  TITIAN  AT  TZINTZUNTZAN 

The  charm  of  Mexico  is  the  variety  of  its  scenery  — 
the  majestic  snow-capped  mountains;  the  rolling  prairies ; 
tropical  forests  jewelled  with  gorgeous  orchids  amidst 
which  flutter  spangled  blue  butterflies;  rivers  embowered 
in  the  densest  shade ; fields  yellowing  to  harvest ; and  the 
steaming,  miasmic  marsh  lands  waving  with  green  sugar- 
cane. You  can  see  all  these  facets  of  the  earth^s  beauty 
in  a journey  of  twenty-four  hours. 

Mexico  can  even  rival  the  picturesqueness  of  Switzer- 
land and  the  Italian  lakes.  For  at  Lake  Patzcuaro  one  has 
scenery  which  is  not  surpassed  by  that  of  Interlaken  or 
Como.  This  lake  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
in  the  world. 

A railway  journey  of  a few  hours  took  me  from  Guana- 
juato to  the  little  town  of  Patzcuaro  on  the  borders  of  the 
lake,  which  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  places  in  all 
Mexico.  The  town  is  about  three  miles  from  the  station, 
and  travellers  journey  thither  in  an  old-fashioned  stage- 
coach similar  to  that  which  runs  between  Atequiza  and 
Chapala.  I found  it  a dusty,  jolting  ride,  but  Patzcuaro 
proved  a sufficient  recompense  for  all  the  discomforts  ex- 
perienced in  getting  there.  It  is  a wonderful  old  town  and, 
in  some  respects,  is  Toledo  in  miniature.  Lining  its  narrow, 
crooked  streets  are  quaint  old  houses,  with  overhanging 
eaves  supported  by  roof  rafters  similar  to  those  which 
are  seen  in  the  towns  of  southern  Spain.  Many  of  these 

370 


TEE  TITIAN  AT  TZINTZUNTZAN 


371 


old  mansions  have  large  shady  verandas  overgrown  with 
creeping  plants  and  masses  of  bright  tropical  flowers.  In 
some  parts  of  the  town  iron  chains  stretched  from  house  to 
house  support  wonderful  old  lanterns,  formerly  the  only 
method  of  street  lighting.  Patzcuaro  has  some  fine  old 
churches  dating  from  early  Spanish  times,  and  crumbling 
stone  shrines  are  set  in  the  walls  at  almost  every  street 
corner.  In  the  middle  of  the  town  is  a wide  plaza  shaded 
with  venerable  trees,  and  here  on  market  nights  swarms  of 
Indian  vendors  sell  their  fish,  fruit  and  vegetables  by  the 
light  of  little  fires,  making  a scene  that  is  wildly  picturesque. 
Although  seven  thousand  feet  above  sea-level,  the  town  is  so 
close  to  the  hot  lands  that  the  market  is  always  filled  with 
tropical  fruits  and  flowers,  and  the  streets  are  thronged 
with  natives  in  costumes  of  warmer  altitudes. 

Viewed  from  the  shore,  the  lake  presents  a scene  of  sur- 
passing beauty.  It  is  rather  narrow  but  of  great  length, 
and  from  its  very  edge  rise  lofty  cliffs  or  pine-clad  mountains, 
round  the  base  of  which  its  waters  are  often  lost  to  view; 
while  dotted  over  its  surface  are  numerous  little  islands, 
on  some  of  which  are  primitive  Indian  villages  of  grass- 
thatched  bamboo  huts.  Queer  flat-bottomed  sailing  boats, 
for  freight  and  passengers,  are  navigated  by  Indian  mariners 
on  the  blue  waters. 

A voyage  of  three  hours  in  one  of  these  craft  took  me 
from  the  town  of  Patzcuaro  to  ancient  Tzintzuntzan,  now 
a straggling  Indian  village,  but  which  before  the  Spaniards 
came  w^as  a great  city  and  the  capital  of  the  Tarascan  kings. 
In  the  vicinity  of  the  place  there  are  a number  of  prehistoric 
ruins.  After  the  Conquest,  Tzintzuntzan  again  became  a 
place  of  importance,  but  in  the  course  of  time  its  greatness 
once  more  departed  and  it  fell  into  decay.  Bordering  the 
narrow  streets  of  the  village,  which  run  at  right  angles, 
are  crumbling  walls  of  stuccoed  adobe,  behind  which  are 


372 


MEXICO 


the  houses.  Through  gaping  holes  in  the  walls  occasional 
glimpses  can  be  caught  of  once  pretentious  mansions,  now 
in  ruins  and  overgrown  with  a tangle  of  vines. 

The  dilapidated  parish  church  which  stands  in  the  middle 
of  the  village  was  once  the  chapel  of  the  powerful  Convent 
of  San  Francisco,  which  was  closed  in  1740,  and  since  then 
has  gradually  fallen  into  ruins.  In  the  convent  garden 
there  are  still  to  be  seen  some  venerable  olive  trees  whose 
gnarled  trunks  have  weathered  the  storms  of  350  years. 
Beneath  the  shade  of  some  of  these  were  buried  some  of  the 
great  dignitaries  of  the  church  and  several  of  the  chiefs  who 
sided  with  Cortes  in  the  days  of  the  Spanish  Conquest.  The 
Indians  of  Tzintzuntzan  are  industrious  folk,  mostly  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  fishing,  and  are  intensely  devout. 

My  principal  object  in  visiting  Tzintzuntzan  was  to  see 
one  of  the  most  important  paintings  in  the  world,  which 
hangs  in  the  old  church,  and  is  no  less  than  a Titian  which 
was  presented  to  the  Convent  of  San  Francisco  by  Philip  II 
of  Spain.  Its  authenticity  is  beyond  dispute.  The  subject 
is  the  ‘‘Entombment  of  Christ.’^ 

Escorted  by  the  padre  and  the  sacristan,  I was  led 
through  the  patio  and  along  a dark  corridor  which  ended  at  a 
massive  door,  barred,  chained  and  padlocked.  After  much 
clanking  of  chains  and  creaking  of  rusty  hinges,  the  key 
turned  in  the  padlock  and  the  door  was  opened.  The  sac- 
ristan carried  a lighted  taper,  for  the  room  was  quite  dark. 
Stepping  forward,  the  padre  pulled  back  the  shutters  from 
an  unglazed  window  protected  by  iron  bars,  and  a flood  of 
sunshine  revealed  the  picture.  The  coloring  was  mag- 
nificent, with  all  the  superb  tints  for  which  Titian  is 
famous. 

Strangely  out  of  place  the  great  picture  looked,  in  the 
midst  of  its  tawdry  surroundings,  gleaming  from  a wide 
carved  white  frame  which  had  once  been  gilt.  But  its 


* 


r 


[ 


MEXICO’S  ART  TREASURE. 
The  famous  Titian  at  Tziiitzuutzan. 


THE  TITIAN  AT  TZINTZUNTZAN 


373 


preservation  is  marvellous,  probably  due  in  a great  measure 
to  the  climate  and  to  the  clear  air  which  circulates  through 
the  church.  Large  sums  of  money  have  been  offered  for 
the  painting,  the  Archbishop  of  Mexico,  among  others, 
having  offered,  it  is  said,  $50,000  for  it;  but  the  devout 
Indians  of  Tzintzuntzan  steadfastly  refused  to  part  with 
their  masterpiece.  They  worship  it  with  a blind  idolatry, 
even  refusing  to  allow  it  to  be  photographed. 

F.  Hopkinson  Smith,  the  well-known  artist  and  author, 
visited  Tzintzuntzan  some  years  ago,  when  tourists  were 
seldom  seen  in  that  region,  and  the  painting  was  far  more 
rigorously  guarded  than  it  is  to-day.  In  his  book, 
White  Umbrella  in  Mexico,  he  has  given  an  interesting 
account  of  his  expedition  and  a technical  description  of 
the  famous  painting,  which,  he  says,  is  undoubtedly  the 
work  of  Titian. 

In  giving  a brief  history  of  the  painting,  Mr.  Smith 
adds:  ‘^In  1533  Charles  V of  Spain  appointed  Vasco  de 
Queroga  to  the  Bishopric  of  Michoacan  to  restore  peace 
to  that  part  of  Mexico  which  had  been  almost  depopulated 
through  the  misgovernment  of  the  Spanish  officials.  Que- 
roga established  his  see  in  the  church  of  San  Francisco 
at  Tzintzuntzan  in  1538;  he  founded  schools,  developed 
agriculture,  conciliated  the  natives  and  restored  prosperity. 
When  Philip  II  ascended  the  throne,  the  good  deeds  of  the 
bishop  reached  him.  During  this  period  the  royal  palace 
at  Madrid  was  filled  with  Titian’s  finest  pictures.  Titian 
was  living  at  this  period,  and  visited  Spain  in  1550.  Re- 
membering these  dates,  the  religious  zeal  of  Philip  and 
his  interest  in  the  distant  church,  it  is  quite  possible  that 
he  either  ordered  this  very  picture  from  the  master  himself 
or  selected  it  from  the  royal  collection.  It  is  quite  improb- 
able that  the  royal  donor  would  have  sent  the  work  of 
an  inferior  painter  or  a copy  by  one  of  Titian’s  pupils. 


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Another  distinguishing  feature,  and  by  far  the  most  con- 
clusive, is  its  handling.  Without  strong  contrasting  tones 
of  color,  Titian  worked  out  a peculiar  golden  mellow  tone 
— divided  it  into  innumerable  small  but  effective  shades, 
producing  thereby  a most  complete  illusion  of  life.  This 
Titianesque  quality  is  particularly  marked  in  the  nude  body 
of  the  Christ,  the  flesh  appearing  to  glow  with  a hidden 
light.^^ 

Mr.  Smith  made  a close  inspection  of  the  picture  and 
examined  it  with  the  aid  of  a powerful  magnifying  glass. 
‘Mn  the  eagerness  of  my  search,’’  he  says,  ‘‘1  unconsciously 
bent  forward  and  laid  my  hand  on  the  Christ. 

^Ciudado  ! Estrangero,  es  muerte’  (Beware,  stranger,  it 
is  death),  came  a quick,  angry  voice  behind  me.  I started 
back  in  alarm,  and  noticed  two  Indians  in  the  room.  One 
advanced  threateningly,  and  the  other  rushed  out,  shouting 
for  the  padre.  In  an  instant  the  place  was  crowded  with 
natives,  clamoring  wildly  and  pointing  to  me  with  angry 
looks  and  gestures.  The  padre  arrived,  breathlessly  fol- 
lowed by  Moon  (the  author’s  travelling  companion). 
^You  have  put  your  foot  in  it,’  said  Moon  in  English,  in 
great  agitation.  ^Now,  do  exactly  what  I tell  you,  and 
perhaps  we  may  get  away  from  here  with  a whole  skin. 
Turn  your  face  to  the  picture!’  I did  so.  ^Now,  walk 
backwards,  drop  on  your  knees  and  bow  three  times,  you 
lunatic.’ 

had  sense  enough  left  to  do  this  reverently  and  with 
some  show  of  ceremony.  Then,  without  moving  a muscle 
of  his  face,  and  with  the  deepest  solemnity.  Moon  turned  to 
the  padre  and  said  to  him:  ^This  distinguished  painter  is 
a true  believer,  holy  father.  His  hand  had  lost  its  cunning, 
and  he  could  no  longer  paint.  He  was  told  in  a dream 
to  journey  to  this  place,  where  he  would  find  this  sacred 
treasure,  upon  touching  which  his  hand  would  regain  its 


THE  TITIAN  AT  TZINTZUNTZAN 


375 


power.  See,  here  is  the  proof.’  Here  he  pointed  to  a 
sketch  I had  made  which  was  resting  on  an  easel.  The 
padre  examined  it,  and  repeated  the  miracle  to  the  Indians 
in  their  own  tongue.  The  change  in  their  demeanor  was 
instantaneous.  The  noise  ceased;  a silence  fell  upon  the 
group  and  they  crowded  about  the  drawing,  wonder-stricken. 
Moon  bowed  low  to  the  padre,  caught  up  the  easel,  pushed 
me  ahead  of  him,  — an  opening  was  made,  — the  people 
standing  back  humbly,  and  we  passed  through  the  group 
and  out  into  the  village  and  thence  to  the  lake,  where  we 
regained  our  boat  and  set  sail.” 

From  Patzcuaro  I went  to  Queretaro,  a town  on  the 
Mexican  National  Railway,  which  almost  rivals  Puebla  in 
the  number  and  size  of  its  churches.  It  is  a thriving  place, 
with  a population  of  forty  thousand,  and  is  rapidly  coming 
to  the  front  as  a commercial  centre. 

In  the  early  Spanish  days  Queretaro  was  not  only  one 
of  the  greatest  strongholds  of  Catholicism  in  Mexico  but 
was  also  the  scene  of  a famous  miracle.  One  of  the  Indian 
chiefs  baptized  by  the  priests  who  accompanied  Cortes 
was  Fernando,  Chief  of  the  Otomites.  Soon  after  his  con- 
version he  marched  an  army  to  Queretaro,  then  an  Indian 
town,  with  the  intention  of  conquering  the  inhabitants 
and  compelling  them  to  accept  Christianity.  During  the 
battle  which  ensued,  an  angel  is  said  to  have  appeared  in 
the  heavens  with  a fiery  cross,  whereupon  the  fighting 
ceased  and  the  baptizing  began.  The  old  church  of  Santa 
Cruz  marks  the  site  of  the  conflict  and  surrender.  Of 
another  of  the  old  Queretaro  churches  — Santa  Rosa  — 
Charles  Dudley  Warner  said:  ‘‘It  is  one  of  the  finest 

chapels  in  the  world,  rich  in  wood  carving  and  over- 
laid with  thick  gold-leaf,  almost  gold  plate.  In  some 
places  the  gold  is  covered  with  transparent  tortoise- 
shell. The  French,  in  1866,  tore  down  the  great  altar  and 


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burned  it  to  get  the  gold,  securing,  it  is  said,  the  value  of 
$1,500,000.” 

In  1867  Queretaro  was  the  scene  of  the  surrender  of  the 
unfortunate  Emperor  Maximilian  and  his  little  force  of  im- 
perialists to  the  victorious  Republican  army.  In  the  old 
convent  of  La  Cruz,  which  served  as  the  emperor’s  head- 
quarters, the  formal  surrender  took  place  on  May  15, 
an  event  which  sealed  the  fate  of  the  short-lived  Mexican 
Empire.  The  Republicans,  it  is  said,  were  enabled  to  enter 
the  town  through  the  treachery  of  Colonel  Lopez,  Maxi- 
milian’s chief-of-staff,  who  received  a bribe  of  twenty 
thousand  pesos. 

Under  the  title  of  ‘^Fernando  Maximiliano  of  Hapsburg, 
Archduke  of  Austria,”  the  emperor  was  summoned  to 
appear  before  a court-martial  on  charges  of  filibustering 
and  treason.  He  refused  to  attend,  but  his  two  generals, 
Miramon  and  Mejia,  who  were  indicted  on  the  same  charges, 
were  present  during  the  proceedings.  Although  ably  de- 
fended, the  emperor  and  his  generals  were  found  guilty 
and  sentenced  to  be  shot  the  next  day,  but  were  granted  a 
reprieve  for  five  days.  All  appeals  for  mercy,  including 
one  from  the  United  States  government,  were  in  vain. 
President  Juarez  firmly  refusing  to  interfere. 

On  the  morning  of  June  19  the  three  victims  were  taken 
to  the  Cerro  de  los  Campanas,  a hill  near  the  town,  and 
placed  against  a low  wall . An  officer  with  seven  riflemen  — 
the  firing  squad  — were  stationed  a short  distance  away. 
Maximilian  went  up  to  the  soldiers,  shook  hands  with  them 
and  gave  to  each  a gold  coin.  He  then  said,  ^^Aim  well, 
muchachos  ” (boys),  and  pointing  to  his  heart,  added,  “Aim 
right  here.”  Returning  to  his  place,  he  addressed  a few 
words  to  the  soldiers,  expressing  the  hope  that  his  blood 
might  be  the  last  shed  in  the  Mexican  civil  war.  He  then 
shouted,  “Viva  Independencia,  viva  Mexico.”  Miramon 


THE  TITIAN  AT  TZINTZUNTZAN 


377 


and  Mejia  cried,  ^^Viva  Mexico,  viva  el  Emperador/^  The 
command  to  fire  was  then  given,  and  the  Mexican  Empire 
came  to  an  end.  The  two  generals  fell  at  the  first  volley, 
but  it  required  a second  volley  before  the  emperor  was  dead. 
He  had  requested  that  he  should  be  shot  on  the  body,  so  that 
his  mother  might  look  upon  his  face.  His  body  was  in- 
terred in  the  old  convent  of  the  Capuchins,  but  was  after- 
wards taken  to  Austria  and  buried  at  Miramar. 

In  1869,  with  the  permission  of  President  Diaz,  admirers 
of  Maximilian  erected  a chapelle  expiatoire  on  the  spot 
where  the  execution  took  place,  the  project  having  been 
approved  by  the  House  of  Hapsburg.  Diplomatic  rela- 
tions between  Austria  and  Mexico  were  then  resumed. 
The  beautiful  little  chapel  of  white  stone  has  three  slabs 
near  the  altar  marking  the  positions  occupied  by  Maxi- 
milian and  the  two  generals  at  their  execution. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


THE  ISTHMUS  OF  TEHUANTEPEC 

When  President  Diaz,  in  1907,  formally  opened  the 
Tehuantepec  National  Railway,  he  gave  official  recognition 
to  one  of  the  most  wonderful  enterprises  that  the  world 
has  witnessed  in  recent  years.  This  railway,  a magnificent 
piece  of  engineering,  runs  across  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuan- 
tepec from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  is  now  do- 
ing on  an  important  scale  what  it  is  intended  the  Panama 
Canal  shall  eventually  do,  to  a larger  extent,  in  transporting 
freight  between  the  two  oceans. 

From  the  early  days  of  the  Spanish  Conquest  the  Isthmus 
of  Tehuantepec  was  recognized  as  an  important  highway 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  Situated  at  the  extreme 
southern  boundary  of  Mexico,  the  Isthmus,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Panama,  is  the  narrowest  neck  of  land  on  the 
American  continent.  Cortes,  it  is  said,  conceived  the  idea 
of  building  a canal  across  it ; but  as  this  was  not  feasible, 
a carriage  road  was  constructed  by  the  Spaniards.  En- 
gineers in  later  times  recommended  this  route  for  a canal 
in  preference  to  Panama,  the  distance  in  a straight  line 
being  only  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 

When  the  Panama  project  under  French  management 
proved  a failure.  President  Diaz,  with  his  customary  fore- 
sight, proposed  a railway  across  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec, 
the  idea  being  to  unload  vessels  on  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific 
side  and  take  the  cargoes  across  the  Isthmus  for  reshipment. 

378 


THE  ISTHMUS  OF  TEHUANTEPEC 


379 


The  plan  was  formally  carried  out,  and  the  railway  was 
completed  in  1894.  When  opened  to  traffic,  however,  it 
proved  to  be  imperfect,  so  in  1899  the  Mexican  government 
entered  into  an  agreement  with  the  English  firm  of  S. 
Pearson  & Sons,  whereby  they  and  the  government  were  to 
be  joint  owners  of  the  railway  for  fifty-one  years  and  to 
share  the  net  earnings.  Although  the  construction  was 
extremely  difficult,  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  country 
traversed  by  the  line,  which  included  some  deep  canons, 
numerous  rocky  cuttings  and  miles  of  swampy  land,  the 
work  was  eventually  finished,  and  the  line,  which  is  one 
hundred  and  ninety  miles  in  length,  was  opened  to  traffic. 
The  work  was  well  done,  and  to-day  the  railway  is  one  of 
the  best  in  Mexico  and  excellently  managed.  It  is  also 
one  of  the  few  railways  in  the  world  which  uses  oil  for  fuel. 

Fine  harbors  have  been  constructed  at  the  ports  of 
Salina  Cruz  on  the  Pacific,  and  Puerto  Mexico,  formerly 
called  Coatzacoalcos,  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  large  warehouses 
having  also  been  erected  for  the  storage  of  freight.  At 
both  places  the  trains  run  right  up  to  the  ships’  sides,  where 
there  are  various  modern  devices  for  unloading  cargoes 
quickly  and  economically  and  transferring  them  to  the 
railway  cars  or  vice  versa.  At  Salina  Cruz  one  of  the 
finest  dry-docks  in  the  world  is  being  built. 

The  Tehuantepec  route  will  not  only  benefit  Mexico  by 
building  up  its  ports  on  the  two  coasts  but  is  already  prov- 
ing of  great  importance  to  international  trade.  A large 
amount  of  traffic  which  formerly  went  round  Cape  Horn 
or  across  the  Panama  Railway  is  now  going  via  Tehuan- 
tepec. Another  important  fact  is  that  this  route  is  twelve 
hundred  miles  shorter  between  New  York  and  San  Fran- 
cisco than  the  Panama  Canal  route.  The  average  freight 
steamer  would  require  four  or  five  days  to  cover  this  dis- 
tance, the  expenses  of  the  vessel  for  that  period  and  the 


380 


MEXICO 


tolls  for  passing  through  the  canal  representing  a far  greater 
outlay  than  the  charges  incurred  by  the  Tehuantepec  route. 
It  will  probably  be  possible  for  the  average  cargo  to  be 
unloaded  and  carried  across  the  Isthmus  and  reloaded  in 
two  days,  and  considering  the  amount  of  labor  involved, 
the  charges  are  reasonably  low. 

Tehuantepec  is  not  only  a much  shorter  route  to  the 
Pacific  ports  of  the  United  States  but  to  the  Orient  and 
Australia  as  well.  American  commercial  interests  are 
already  recognizing  this,  and  are  using  it  extensively  for 
the  shipment  of  freight  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific. 
A contract  has  recently  been  entered  into  with  the  Ameri- 
can-Hawaiian  Steamship  Company  for  the  carrying  of  sugar 
from  Hawaii  to  New  York  via  Tehuantepec,  these  great 
sugar  cargoes  having  formerly  gone  round  Cape  Horn.  The 
distance  from  Hawaii  to  New  York  via  Tehuantepec  is  only 
5305  miles,  while  by  Cape  Horn  it  is  over  12,000. 

It  is  a long  journey  from  Mexico  City  to  Tehuantepec, 
but  it  is  one  that  is  well  worth  taking,  for  the  route  is 
through  those  wonderful  ‘^hot  lands’^  bordering  the  coast, 
the  veritable  heart  of  the  tropics.  To  reach  Tehuantepec 
from  the  capital,  one  has  to  take  the  Mexican  Railway  to 
Cordoba,  a distance  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  eight  miles, 
where  connection  is  made  with  the  Vera  Cruz  and  Pacific 
Railroad,  which  runs  two  hundred  and  two  miles  to  Santa 
Lucrezia  in  the  extreme  southern  end  of  Mexico. 

One  evening  at  the  beginning  of  March  I started  from 
the  capital  for  Tehuantepec,  travelling  to  Cordoba  in  a 
comfortable  Pullman  sleeping-car,  and  arriving  there  early 
the  next  morning,  with  ample  time  to  catch  the  train  for 
Santa  Lucrezia,  which  left  at  nine  o’clock.  This  train, 
which  was  the  most  comfortable  one  that  I had  thus  far 
seen  in  Mexico,  included  Pullman  sleeping-  and  drawing- 
room cars,  and  a well-arranged  restaurant.  In  the  sleeping 


THE  MEXICAN  TROPICS. 

Ad  ludiau  Village  ou  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec. 


THE  ISTHMUS  OF  TEHUANTEPEC 


381 


compartments  the  berths  were  specially  designed  for  service 
in  the  tropics,  and  were  provided  with  mosquito  netting, 
an  important  requisite  in  the  insect-infested  ^‘hot  lands/’ 

The  railway  journey  from  Cordoba  southward  is  full  of 
interest,  the  line  running  for  nearly  fifty  miles  through 
plantations  of  sugar-cane,  coffee,  bananas,  oranges,  pine- 
apples and  other  tropical  and  semitropical  fruits.  Then 
conies  a long  stretch  of  fine  grazing  and  agricultural  lands, 
with  wide  prairies,  where  can  be  seen  the  picturesque  Mexi- 
can cowboys  or  vaqueros  mounted  on  swift  ponies  with 
heavy  saddles  and  cruel  bits,  carrying  the  ever  present 
lasso.  There  are  many  villages  along  the  line  but  no  cities. 
At  Tierra  Blanca,  fifty-seven  miles  from  Cordoba,  there 
is  a branch  line  to  Vera  Cruz ; and  at  Los  Narajos  the  rail- 
way crosses  the  Papaloapam  River,  the  bridge  and  its  ap- 
proaches being  over  a mile  long,  the  largest  in  Mexico. 
Passing  through  a dense  jungle  for  several  miles,  the  line 
again  enters  a prairie  country,  which  continues  for  another 
fifty  miles. 

At  San  Marcos  (one  hundred  and  fifty  seven  miles)  the 
prairie  gives  place  to  jungle  and  swamps,  which  in  turn  are 
replaced  by  a dense  tropical  forest,  largely  unexplored,  of 
giant  mahogany,  ebony,  dyewood  and  rosewood  trees, 
palms  of  all  varieties,  medicinal  woods,  vines,  plants  and 
flowers.  It  is  alive  with  chattering  monkeys,  green  par- 
rots and  flocks  of  other  gaudily  colored  birds  seen  only  in 
the  tropics.  This  is  indeed  the  forest  primeval,  vast  and 
impenetrable ! Coiling  about  the  tree-trunks  like  green 
great  snakes  are  creepers  and  other  parasites,  which  hang 
from  the  boughs  and  replant  themselves  in  the  moist 
earth.  Among  these  are  growing  a variety  of  beautiful 
orchids,  while  forming  a dense  undergrowth  is  a tangled 
mass  of  wonderful  ferns  and  flowering  plants.  In  these 
dense  woods  there  lurks  the  fierce  jaguar,  called  by  the 


382 


MEXICO 


Mexicans  the  tigre^  and  in  their  sombre  depths  crawl  the 
python  and  other  tropical  snakes. 

This  district  would  seem  to  promise  a happy  hunting- 
ground  for  the  sportsman,  who  could  stalk  the  jaguar  and 
puma  or  the  great  river-hog,  the  tapir,  floundering  in  its 
marshy  haunts,  or  bring  down  a good-sized  deer  or  a fierce 
wild  bull ; or  spear  the  ever  game  peccary.  Birds  — quail 
and  plover  on  the  prairies,  pheasants  and  turkeys  in  the 
forest  — are  there  in  plenty.  But  so  great  are  the  diffi- 
culties of  traversing  these  tropical  forests  and  so  terribly 
unhealthy  are  they  that  for  the  most  part  they  are  virgin 
ground  as  far  as  sport  is  concerned.  The  Indians  alone  can 
enjoy  the  chase  in  such  solitudes ; and  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  year  they  live  upon  the  game  which  is  so  plentiful 
and  the  wild  fruits  with  which  the  woodlands  abound. 

From  Cordoba  to  Santa  Lucrezia  the  railway  runs  through 
the  ^^hot  lands’^  again.  Here  are  seen  the  hot-land  habi- 
tations, constructed  of  bamboo  and  light  poles  and  thatched 
with  palm-leaves,  affording  shade  from  the  sun,  but  allowing 
the  air  to  circulate  freely;  for  the  only  shelter  needed  is 
protection  from  the  rains.  In  this  part  of  the  country 
there  are  none  of  the  imposing  stone  buildings  found  in 
the  temperate  regions  of  Mexico,  and  there  are  very  few 
towns  of  any  size.  The  tropical  villages  are  not  unlike 
those  in  central  Africa.  They  swarm  with  naked  babies, 
and  boys  and  girls  past  childhood  almost  as  simply  clad. 
The  population  in  the  hot  country  is  much  smaller  than 
that  of  the  temperate  zones,  though  it  could  easily  support 
an  immense  number  of  inhabitants.  So  wonderfully  rich 
is  the  soil  that  all  kinds  of  tropical  fruits,  coffee,  tobacco, 
the  vanilla  bean  and  many  drug-producing  plants  grow 
luxuriantly.  A large  number  of  india  rubber  plantations 
have  been  started  of  late  years,  and  bid  fair  to  make  a 
great  success. 


THE  ISTHMUS  OF  TEHUANTEPEC 


883 


But  farming  in  the  hot  lands  requires  a great  amount 
of  capital,  and  to  be  successful  it  must  be  conducted  on  a 
big  scale,  with  a large  force  of  laborers.  The  land  can  be 
bought  cheaply  enough,  but  that  is  only  the  preliminary 
expense,  for  it  has  to  be  cleared  and  planted;  and  as  a 
rule  it  is  only  after  years  of  careful  cultivation  that  profit- 
able returns  can  be  obtained  from  such  things  as  rubber, 
coffee  and  cacao.  Conducted  by  experienced  men  with 
sufficient  capital,  however,  coffee  and  banana  culture  are 
proving  extremely  profitable  in  Mexico,  and  some  large 
fortunes  are  being  made.  Everything  considered,  there 
are  few  richer  countries  in  the  world  than  these  lands  in 
southern  Mexico,  in  the  States  of  Vera  Cruz,  Campeche 
and  Tabasco.  With  forests  yielding  mahogany  and  nu- 
merous other  valuable  woods,  with  a prolific  soil  and  a won- 
derful climate,  making  it  possible  in  some  cases  to  raise 
three  crops  in  a single  year,  these  hot  lands  must  have  a 
marvellous  future. 

The  dense  forests  and  numerous  swamps  of  the  hot  lands 
would  not  seem  to  make  this  part  of  Mexico  a very  in- 
viting place  in  which  to  live;  but  strange  to  say,  these 
tropical  regions  are  not  so  very  unhealthful,  if  a careful 
system  of  living  is  followed.  Intemperance  in  eating  and 
drinking  has,  of  course,  to  be  avoided,  and  fevers  and 
malaria  are  certain  to  result  from  exposure  to  rains  or  the 
intense  heat  of  the  midday  sun. 

We  reached  Santa  Lucrezia  at  half-past  nine  in  the 
evening.  It  is  only  a small  village,  with  one  wretched 
hotel.  Fortunately,  passengers  are  not  obliged  to  pass  a 
night  there  but  can  remain  comfortably  asleep  in  the  Pull- 
man car.^ 

The  day  had  been  baking  hot,  and  even  summer  clothing 

^ The  trains  now  run  direct  to  Salina  Cruz,  the  service  of  late 
having  been  much  improved. 


384 


MEXICO 


seemed  unbearable,  but  at  night  the  air  was  deliciously 
cool.  Swarms  of  mosquitoes  and  other  insect  pests  buzzed 
outside  the  car,  some  managing  to  find  their  way  inside, 
but  safely  behind  the  mosquito  curtains  we  could  ignore 
them.  Poets  who  rave  about  the  stilly  night  could  never 
have  visited  the  tropics  of  Mexico.  There  is  no  stilly  night 
there.  From  the  neighboring  woods  came  the  incessant 
croaking  of  frogs  and  the  loud  buzzing,  whistling  and  chirp- 
ing of  innumerable  insects,  — a combined  volley  of  sound 
not  unlike  that  made  by  a cotton  mill  at  high  pressure. 
Strangely  enough,  nearly  all  these  noises  cease  in  the 
daytime. 

Near  Santa  Lucrezia  are  many  plantations  of  tropical 
fruits,  coffee,  cacao  and  rubber.  Some  groves  of  cultivated 
rubber  contain  from  one  hundred  thousand  to  one  million 
trees.  Of  the  fifteen  hundred  species  of  rubber  plants  and 
trees  which  exist,  very  few  are  found  in  Mexico.  A tree 
known  as  castilloa  elastica,  which  is  indigenous  to  the  soil, 
gives  the  best  results  and  is  chiefly  grown  in  the  plantations. 
It  begins  to  yield  rubber  when  six  or  seven  years  old,  but 
the  growers  rarely  tap  it  until  it  has  reached  the  age  of 
nine  or  ten. 

In  extracting  the  caoutchouc  or  rubber,  one  or  two  V- 
shaped  incisions  are  cut  in  the  trunk,  penetrating  the  bark, 
but  not  so  deeply  as  to  reach  the  wood  of  the  tree,  and  al- 
ways leaving  behind  some  of  the  cambium  or  growing  layer 
of  the  stem,  so  that  the  wound  may  rapidly  heal  and  the 
tree  eventually  be  suitable  for  tapping  again.  As  soon  as 
the  cuts  are  made,  the  milk-white  latex  begins  to  flow  and 
is  caught  in  a galvanized-iron  cup  placed  at  the  base  of  the 
trunk.  As  much  as  half  a pint  of  this  fluid  may  run  into 
the  cup,  after  which  the  flow  ceases.  Tree-tapping  is  usu- 
ally carried  out  once  a year,  either  in  October,  November 
or  December,  and  each  tree  usually  lasts  twenty-five  years. 


THE  ISTHMUS  OP  TEHUANTEPEC 


385 


producing  one  pound  of  rubber  per  annum  when  ten  years 
old.  The  latex,  after  being  collected,  is  deposited  in 
barrels  of  water  mixed  with  the  juice  of  a wild  vine  or  con- 
volvulus {i'pomcea  hona  nox)  which  hastens  coagulation 
and  transforms  it  into  a spongy  white  mass  — the  crude 
rubber  of  commerce. 

Over  825,000,000  has  been  invested  in  Mexican  rubber 
plantations,  but  very  few  of  them  have  ever  yielded  satis- 
factory dividends.  In  some  instances  this  has  been  due 
to  incompetent  management,  coupled  with  the  difficulty  of 
getting  the  proper  kind  of  labor.  Under  the  most  satis- 
factory conditions,  however,  it  is  doubtful  v/hether  Mexico 
will  ever  be  able  to  compete  with  Brazil,  the  Malay  Pen- 
insula or  Ceylon,  or  even  with  Central  America  as  a rub- 
ber-producing country. 

The  growth  of  Indian  corn  in  these  hot  lands  of  Mexico 
is  marvellous,  attaining  as  it  does  a height  of  fifteen  to 
eighteen  feet,  with  ears  that  will  mature  within  sixty  days 
from  planting.  Similarly,  sugar-cane  in  ten  months  will 
have  stalks  twenty  feet  high  and  ten  inches  in  circum- 
ference. Bananas  make  a growth  of  twenty  feet  in  a few 
months.  There  are  about  twenty  varieties,  and  when 
properly  cultivated,  each  stalk  usually  bears  from  seventy- 
five  to  one  hundred  pounds  of  fruit.  On  some  plantations, 
where  the  plants  are  set  about  twelve  feet  apart,  each  acre 
of  land  will  produce  from  six  hundred  to  nine  hundred  large 
bunches  a year.  Under  these  favorable  conditions,  banana- 
growing is  proving  wonderfully  profitable.  The  growth  of 
fruit  trees  is  just  as  wonderful.  Peach  trees  two  years  old 
attain  a height  of  twelve  feet  and  bear  fruit ; oranges  bear 
at  four  years  of  age.  The  soil  is  rich,  indeed  practically 
inexhaustible;  the  climate  is  summer  all  the  year  round, 
and  the  rainfall  is  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred 
inches  per  annum.  With  these  advantages,  tropical  agricul- 
2c 


386 


MEXICO 


ture  is  certainly  destined  to  become  one  of  the  greatest 
wealth-producers  on  the  American  continent. 

After  spending  the  night  at  Santa  Lucrezia,  our  train  was 
switched  to  the  Tehuantepec  National  Railway  the  next 
morning,  and  went  on  to  Salina  Cruz,  which  was  reached 
in  the  afternoon.  At  Rincon  Antonio,  a small  place  on 
the  way,  which  is  the  highest  point  on  the  line,  the  railway 
company’s  general  offices,  workshops  and  hospital  have  been 
established.  The  climate  here  is  pleasant  and  salubrious, 
the  heat  being  tempered  by  the  winds  that  are  constantly 
blowing  across  the  isthmus. 

The  workshops  at  Rincon  Antonio  are  equipped  with 
the  most  modern  machinery  and  appliances  for  every 
possible  repair  to  the  rolling-stock  and  engines  in  use  on  the 
line.  Here,  as  at  Salina  Cruz  and  Puerto  Mexico,  all  the 
machinery  is  driven  by  electricity  generated  by  a steam 
plant,  crude  oil  being  used  for  fuel.  As  at  all  other  places 
where  Messrs.  Pearson  have  large  works,  every  care  has 
been  taken  here  to  make  life  as  agreeable  and  homelike  as 
possible  for  managers  and  employees.  Comfortable  modern 
houses  have  been  erected  for  the  various  heads  of  depart- 
ments, while  the  subordinate  employees  are  lodged  in  ex- 
cellent staff  houses.  A club-house  has  been  built  and 
quarters  provided  for  a Catholic  chapel  and  a masonic 
lodge.  Special  attention  has  been  given  to  a pure  and 
abundant  water-supply.  The  general  officers  of  the  rail- 
way and  the  head  men  at  the  ports  of  Salina  Cruz  and 
Puerto  Mexico  are  Englishmen  and  Americans,  the  latter 
being  in  the  majority. 

From  Santa  Lucrezia  to  the  Pacific  coast  the  line  is  fairly 
level,  passing  through  a succession  of  dense  forests,  among 
low,  rocky  hills,  across  wide  swamps  and  skirting  some  good 
grazing  lands.  The  soil  here,  as  in  other  parts  of  the 
Mexican  tropics,  is  wonderfully  fertile,  and  the  growth  of 


THE  ISTHMUS  OF  TEHUANTEPEC 


387 


vegetation  is  marvellous.  This  bountiful  aspect  of  nature 
constitutes,  in  fact,  one  of  the  many  difficulties  which  con- 
front the  managers  of  the  railway.  So  rapid  is  the  growth 
of  the  wild  plants  along  the  line  that,  if  left  to  themselves, 
they  would  soon  overgrow  the  track.  Laborers  have  to  be 
constantly  employed  in  cutting  down  these  rapid  growths, 
and  the  expenditure  on  this  amounts  to  a large  sum  in 
the  course  of  the  year. 

I was  surprised  to  find  Salina  Cruz  so  remarkably  pro- 
gressive and  up-to-date,  with  smart  new  buildings,  modern 
houses  and  a comfortable  hotel.  When  the  railway  was 
first  started,  the  site  of  the  present  town  was  occupied  by 
a squalid  Indian  village.  A new  town  has  since  been  laid 
out,  in  accordance  with  modern  ideas  and  sanitary  prin- 
ciples, the  dwellings  being  erected  on  higher  and  more 
healthy  ground.  The  port  is  destined  to  become  one  of 
the  most  important  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  is  an  interesting 
example  of  the  progress  that  is  taking  place  in  this  remote 
part  of  Mexico.  At  the  back  of  the  town  is  a range  of  hills 
which  furnish  some  protection  against  the  northers  which 
occasionally  blow  from  the  Atlantic  side  of  the  Isthmus. 
One  of  the  features  of  the  harbor  is  a massive  stone  break- 
water nearly  a mile  in  length  and  a dock  fifty  acres  in 
extent.  In  former  days,  owing  to  the  numerous  sand-bars 
and  the  shallowness  of  the  water,  large  vessels  were  unable 
to  enter  the  port,  and  there  was  no  protection  against  the 
stormy  seas  which  occasionally  sweep  along  the  Pacific 
coast.  Ample  protection  is  now  afforded  by  the  great 
breakwater,  and  as  the  result  of  recent  improvements  the 
harbor  now  has  a draught  of  over  thirty-five  feet  at  low 
tide. 

Salina  Cruz  is  becoming  a very  busy  place.  In  the  har- 
bor, at  the  time  of  my  arrival,  were  two  large  American 
steamers  discharging  cargoes  of  sugar  for  transportation 


388 


MEXICO 


across  the  Isthmus,  while  an  English  tramp  was  taking 
on  a quantity  of  freight  which  had  come  across  the  Atlantic. 
Three  lines  of  steamers  touch  at  this  port,  the  Kosmos  Line 
(German)  running  between  Hamburg  and  Pacific  coast 
points  of  Mexico,  Central,  South  and  North  America; 
the  Pacific  Steam  Navigation  Company  (American)  whose 
vessels  call  at  the  principal  Mexican  Pacific  coast  ports; 
and  the  new  Canadian  line  from  Vancouver.  By  the 
Kosmos  line  one  can  travel  from  Salina  Cruz  to  various 
ports  in  South  America,  — in  Chili,  Peru  and  the  Argentine, 
— and  many  travellers  from  the  United  States  who  wish 
to  avoid  a long  sea  journey  to  the  Pacific  coast  of  South 
America  are  now  going  by  this  route. 

The  wonderful  improvements  made  at  Salina  Cruz  have 
been  repeated  on  a similar  scale  at  Puerto  Mexico  on  the 
Atlantic  side  of  the  Isthmus,  where  the  old  town  has  been 
thoroughly  renovated  and  put  in  good  sanitary  condition. 
Some  pestilential  swamps  which  made  the  place  a hot-bed 
of  yellow  fever  have  been  almost  entirely  filled  in,  and  the 
terrible  scourge  is  now  practically  obliterated.  The  town 
is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  a river  of  the  same  name,  which 
is  navigable  for  seventy  miles.  Great  stone  jetties  have 
been  constructed  in  the  harbor,  insuring  an  ample  depth 
of  water;  extensive  wharves  have  been  built,  and  some 
good  business  buildings  erected.  Puerto  Mexico  is  rapidly 
becoming  a place  of  importance;  two  lines  of  steamers 
are  now  making  regular  calls  there,  and  others  are  arrang- 
ing to  make  it  a port  of  entry. 

Enormous  sums  have  been  expended  in  rebuilding  the 
Tehuantepec  Railway  and  in  carrying  out  the  improve- 
ments at  the  two  ports.  It  is  estimated  that  since  the 
work  was  begun  the  sum  of  $50,000,000  has  been  ex- 
pended, and  before  the  harbor  works  are  perfected  about 
$5,000,000  more  will  have  to  be  disbursed.  In  addition 


THE  ISTHMUS  OF  TEHUANTEPEC 


389 


to  this,  $10,000,000  has  been  appropriated  by  the  Mexican 
government,  making  a total  expenditure  on  the  railway 
and  ports  of  about  $65,000,000. 

The  opening  up  of  the  country,  which  has  resulted  from 
the  successful  operation  of  the  Tehuantepec  Railway,  is 
likely  to  be  followed  by  further  important  developments 
in  southern  Mexico.  In  the  course  of  a few  years  it  is 
quite  possible  that  a line  will  be  built  to  Tehuantepec  from 
Oaxaca,  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant, 
thus  tapping  one  of  the  richest  parts  of  the  country ; an- 
other line  may  possibly  be  built  in  an  easterly  direction 
through  the  States  of  Campeche  and  Yucatan.  Merida,  the 
capital  of  the  latter  State,  is  a busy  city,  with  a popula- 
tion of  over  a hundred  thousand,  and  is  only  a few  miles 
from  Progreso  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  nearest  port  to 
Havana  and  New  York. 

One  of  the  great  projects  of  American  statesmen  has 
been  a Pan-American  railway  or  direct  railway  route  from 
the  United  States  to  the  southernmost  republics  of  South 
America.  At  various  conferences  between  representatives 
of  the  United  States  and  the  South  American  republics 
this  matter  has  been  fully  discussed.  It  is  not  generally 
known  that  the  idea  is  being  gradually  carried  out.  At 
San  Geronimo,  on  the  Tehuantepec  Railway,  there  is  a 
branch  line  called  the  Pan-American  Railroad  which  runs 
along  the  Pacific  coast  to  Tapachula  on  the  borders  of 
Guatemala.  This  line  is  to  be  gradually  extended  through 
Guatemala,  Salvador,  Nicaragua,  Costa  Rica  and  Panama 
to  South  America,  where  it  will  connect  with  the  lines  al- 
ready in  operation  there.  While  at  present  this  is  rather 
a visionary  prospect,  still  the  world  is  moving  rapidly,  and 
not  so  many  years  hence  it  may  perhaps  be  possible  to  take 
a train  in  New  York  for  Chili  and  Peru  via  Mexico  and 
Central  America. 


390 


MEXICO 


The  Pan-American  line  already  built  has  opened  up 
the  rich  coffee  lands  in  the  State  of  Chiapas,  and  is  gradually 
developing  several  new  ports  along  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
railway  was  built  by  an  American  company  subsidized  by 
the  Mexican  government.  The  completion  of  the  line  to 
Guatemala  will  probably  tend  to  render  that  little  republic 
more  peaceful  by  bringing  it  under  the  civilizing  influences 
of  Mexico. 

There  is  fine  scenery  along  the  Pan-American  Railroad, 
some  of  the  mountain  peaks  in  that  part  of  the  country 
rising  from  eight  to  nine  thousand  feet.  Near  Tomala, 
and  some  eight  miles  from  the  line,  are  the  remains  of  an 
ancient  city,  with  temples  and  fortresses  of  cut  stone,  in  the 
midst  of  an  almost  impenetrable  forest.  The  whole  State 
of  Chiapas,  through  which  the  line  runs,  is  filled  with  these 
prehistoric  relics.  Greatest  of  all  the  ruins  are  those  of  the 
city  of  Palenque,  its  wonderful  temples  and  palaces  being 
overgrown  by  the  luxuriant  tropical  woodlands.  There  is 
an  Indian  tradition  that  Palenque  covered  an  area  of  sixty 
miles ; but  the  American  traveller,  J.  L.  Stephens,  proved 
this  to  be  a ridiculous  exaggeration.  The  city  was  about 
two  miles  round.  Several  archaeologists  who  have  visited 
Palenque  since  Stephens  have  fully  confirmed  his  estimate. 

Before  leaving  the  Isthmus,  I visited  the  city  of  Tehuan- 
tepec, a short  trip  by  railway  from  Salina  Cruz.  It  is  a 
queer,  straggling,  ramshackle  sort  of  place,  with  a popula- 
tion of  some  twenty  thousand.  Although  it  is  always  hot 
and  sunny  there,  the  heat  is  generally  tempered  by  a good 
breeze  blowing  from  the  Pacific.  It  rains  but  seldom. 
Most  of  the  low,  one-story  buildings  in  the  town  show  the 
effects  of  earthquakes,  which  are  not  infrequent.  As  in 
all  the  Mexican  tropical  lands,  none  of  the  buildings  have 
the  solid,  imposing  appearance  of  those  to  be  seen  in  the 
temperate  zones. 


THE  ISTHMUS  OF  TEHUANTEPEC 


391 


Until  the  railway  was  opened^  Tehuantepec  was  shut 
off  from  the  outside  world,  strangers  seldom  going  there. 
For  this  reason  many  quaint  customs  and  costumes  still 
survive,  unaltered  by  the  prosaic  march  of  progress.  The 
natives  belong  to  the  Zapotec  tribe  of  Indians,  and  are 
remarkably  clean.  Groups  of  them  are  constantly  bathing 
in  the  broad  river  which  runs  through  the  town,  and  they 
do  not  seem  to  share  the  strong  antipathy  for  soap  found 
elsewhere  among  Mexican  Indians.  The  clothing  of  both 
sexes  is  generally  immaculate.  These  Indians  are  very 
closely  akin  to  the  cleanly  Mayas  of  Yucatan,  and  are 
believed  by  some  authorities  to  be  one  of  the  remnants  of 
the  Mayan  race  which  probably  once  held  all  Mexico  before 
the  wild,  fighting  tribes  of  Aztec  type  broke  in  from  the 
north,  driving  them  southward  to  Yucatan  and  Guatemala. 

Nothing  else  betrays  so  quickly  the  social  condition  of 
a race  as  the  status  of  its  womankind.  The  difference 
between  the  Zapotec  women  and  their  uncomely,  unkempt 
sisters  of  northern  Mexico  is  almost  the  difference  between 
savagery  and  civilization.  A Tehuantepec  woman  is  a be- 
ing who  has  rights  and  can  enforce  them.  In  the  market- 
place women  conduct  most  of  the  business,  as  in  France, 
while  the  poor,  henpecked  men  keep  in  the  background. 
The  women  usually  hold  the  family  purse,  and  it  is  even 
impossible  for  a man  to  get  credit  unless  his  wife  vouches 
for  him.  They  are  not  only  shrewder  and  brighter  but 
more  intelligent  than  the  men,  whose  position  is  manifestly 
inferior.  Under  these  circumstances,  Tehuantepec  would 
be  a blissful  abiding  place  for  the  suffragettes. 

Of  the  docility  of  the  men  I saw  a most  amusing  instance 
during  my  visit.  I stopped  in  the  market-place  to  buy 
some  fruit  at  one  of  the  stands,  which  was  presided  over 
by  a buxom  young  woman  with  keen  dark  eyes.  She  was 
gossiping  energetically  with  a neighbor,  while  her  husband 


392 


MEXICO 


was  seated  near  by  placidly  smoking  a cigarette.  Catching 
sight  of  me,  the  comely  Zapoteca  called  out  sharply,  Pedro, 
Pedro,  attend  to  the  sehor.”  Pedro,  a big,  burly  fellow, 
came  forward  rather  sheepishly  and  supplied  my  wants, 
while  his  wife  kept  an  Argus  eye  on  him.  He  was  about 
to  pocket  the  money  I handed  to  him,  but  Mrs.  Pedro  was 
ready  for  the  emergency.  Pedro,’'  she  remarked  severely, 
want  that  cash,”  and  the  lamblike  Pedro  surrendered  it 
without  a word  of  protest.  He  noticed  my  amused  ex- 
pression, however,  and  when  his  better  half  was  not  looking, 
returned  a covert  smile  which  seemed  to  say,  ^H’m  only 
doing  this  for  fun;  I’m  not  really  henpecked.” 

The  Zapotec  women  are  famous  for  their  beauty,  clean- 
liness and  their  devotion  to  their  homes.  They  are  copper- 
colored,  with  smooth,  coarse  black  hair,  small  brown  eyes, 
aquiline  features  and  fine  white  teeth,  the  face  being  char- 
acterized by  a gentle,  pleasant  expression.  They  are  rather 
short,  well-proportioned  and  possess  a natural  grace  of 
carriage,  probably  because  of  their  habit  of  bearing  loads 
on  their  heads.  Besides  being  the  housekeepers,  they 
weave  cloth,  mats,  baskets  and  hammocks.  Their  cos- 
tume is  very  quaint  and  attractive.  They  wear  a little 
jacket  with  extremely  short  sleeves,  sometimes  richly  em- 
broidered and  cut  rather  low  at  the  neck;  then  comes  a 
short  upper  skirt,  generally  of  soft  linen  or  cotton  material, 
and  from  the  knees  downward  a second  skirt  of  embroidery 
or  thick  lace  starched  very  stiffly.  The  jacket  and  upper 
skirt  are  generally  some  shade  of  red  or  blue.  They  have 
a peculiar  head-dress  of  coarse  lace,  which  is  arranged  in 
several  ways.  On  festive  occasions  they  wind  it  round 
their  necks  so  that  it  spreads  out  something  like  a sixteenth- 
century  ruff;  while  for  church  wear  it  is  worn  somewhat 
in  the  fashion  of  a French  fishwife’s  cap. 

The  wealthy  ladies  of  Tehuantepec  do  not  wear  diamonds, 


THE  ISTHMUS  OF  TEHUANTEPEC 


393 


but  adorn  themselves  with  necklaces  of  gold  coins,  usually 
the  large  five,  ten  or  twenty  dollar  gold  pieces  of  the  United 
States.  English,  French  and  German  coins  are  sometimes 
worn,  but  are  not  considered  so  fashionable.  The  women 
save  all  their  money  to  buy  these  gold  pieces,  which,  when 
worn  by  them,  present  a rather  beautiful  appearance. 
Their  wealth  and  social  standing  are  indicated  by  the 
amount  of  gold  they  wear,  and  some  members  of  the  Te- 
huantepec smart  set  are  said  to  possess  necklaces  worth 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  and  more.  Even  when  arrayed  in 
all  this  finery,  very  few  of  the  Tehuantepec  women  ever 
wear  shoes,  most  of  the  poor  going  barefooted  and  the 
better  class  finding  sandals  more  comfortable. 

These  gentle,  orderly  Zapotecs  might  well  serve  as  models 
for  Mexicans  farther  north.  They  live  quiet,  peaceful 
lives,  enjoying  the  simplest  diversions,  their  clean,  tem- 
perate habits  producing  the  health,  happiness  and  lon- 
gevity which  characterize  them.  Quarrels  are  rare,  and 
murder  is  unknown.  They  are  extremely  kind  to  animals, 
and  the  burro  or  ox  which  serves  the  Zapotec  is  treated 
as  a pet.  Bull  or  cock  fights  are  not  held  because  public 
opinion  is  strongly  against  cruelty  in  any  form.  These 
people  are  passionately  fond  of  music,  and  the  concerts 
of  their  local  band  would  do  credit  to  any  city. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

TAEPON  FISHING  AT  TAMPICO 

Although  the  streams  and  rivers  of  Mexico  have  little 
to  tempt  the  angler,  the  Gulf  coast  has  become  famous  the 
world  over  as  the  place  of  places  for  tarpon  fishing.  This 
wonderful  fish,  which  sometimes  attains  a weight  of  over 
two  hundred  pounds,  and  is  as  gamy  as  a brook  trout,  is 
found  in  its  perfection  in  the  waters  round  Tampico,  and 
the  delights  of  the  sport  have  brought  fishermen  there 
from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Tampico,  which  has  become  almost  synonymous  with 
tarpon,  is  about  three  hundred  miles  north  of  Vera  Cruz; 
and  it  was  to  Tampico  in  quest  of  tarpon  that  I journeyed 
after  my  visit  to  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec. 

From  the  Isthmus  I returned  direct  to  Vera  Cruz,  which, 
on  this  occasion,  fully  merited  its  reputation  as  a city  of  the 
tropics.  Instead  of  the  gloomy  weather  and  depressing 
norther’^  which  I had  encountered  on  my  arrival  some 
four  months  before,  there  was  a cloudless  sky,  the  sun  was 
blazing  with  tropical  intensity  and  people  who  walked  the 
streets  all  kept  to  the  shady  sides.  The  principal  streets 
had  already  been  asphalted,  and  the  work  on  others  was 
proceeding  rapidly.  When  I first  landed,  there  were  no 
carriages  to  be  seen,  owing  to  the  bad  paving,  but  now  I 
noticed  several  as  I strolled  through  the  town ; and  before 
I had  been  in  the  place  half  an  hour  I saw  two  automobiles 
whizzing  along  the  main  street.  The  old  mule-cars  were 
still  running,  but  electric  wires  were  being  installed  for 

394 


TARPON  FISHING  AT  TAMPICO 


395 


the  new  American  electric  cars.  Wonderful  indeed  is  the 
march,  or  I should  say  the  rush,  of  progress  in  modern 
Mexico. 

There  is  no  railway  between  Vera  Cruz  and  Tampico, 
and  as  the  country  along  the  coast  is  very  swampy  and 
there  are  no  important  towns  there,  it  would  be  very  ex- 
pensive to  build  a line.  But  some  day  a railway  is  certain 
to  be  built  between  the  two  places.  At  the  present  time 
the  only  way  to  get  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Tampico  by  railway 
is  to  return  to  Mexico  City  and  make  a detour  of  several 
hundred  miles.  For  this  reason  travellers  have  to  go  by 
steamer.  There  are  two  lines  running  between  the  two 
ports  — the  Hamburg  American  and  the  Mexican  Steam- 
ship lines.  The  German  liners  are  splendid  vessels,  several 
of  the  large  Atlantic  steamers  being  used  for  the  Mexican 
service  during  the  winter  months.  These  steamers  run 
from  Bremen,  Havre  and  Plymouth  to  Havana  and  thence 
to  Vera  Cruz  and  Tampico,  returning  to  Europe  by  the 
same  route. 

I had  to  wait  three  days  at  Vera  Cruz  for  the  Kron- 
prinzessin  Cecilie,  on  which  I booked  my  passage  to  Tampico, 
but  managed  to  pass  the  time  very  pleasantly.  The  Hotel 
Diligencia,  where  I found  comfortable  quarters,  was  a 
typical  Mexican  hotel,  facing  the  plaza,  with  a large,  open, 
tiled  dining-room  through  which  the  breezes  circulated  re- 
freshingly in  the  hot  daytime.  In  the  shade  it  was  quite 
comfortable,  no  matter  how  baking  hot  it  might  be  in  the 
sun.  Under  the  clear  blue  sky  Vera  Cruz  was  completely 
changed;  the  soft-tinted  houses,  the  palm  trees  and  the 
flowers  in  the  plaza  were  all  transformed  into  things  of 
beauty,  proving  how  essential  is  the  bright  sun  to  life  in 
the  tropics. 

Having  three  days  to  spare  before  the  steamer  left  for 
Tampico,  I took  a trip  to  the  famous  city  of  Jalapa  (pro- 


396 


MEXICO 


nounced  Hahlap'pa),  eighty-two  miles  from  Vera  Cruz,  on 
the  Inter-oceanic  branch  of  the  Mexican  National  Railway. 
It  is  situated  at  about  the  same  altitude  as  Orizaba,  but 
in  point  of  picturesqueness  far  excels  that  city.  Like 
Orizaba,  however,  it  lies  at  the  foot  of  lofty  mountains 
which  encircle  it,  the  great  snow-covered  peak  of  Orizaba 
being  visible  on  clear  days.  The  women  of  Jalapa,  many 
of  whom  are  quite  fair,  are  famed  for  their  beauty,  and 
judging  by  the  many  attractive  faces  I saw  in  a short  walk, 
it  would  seem  this  reputation  is  well  deserved.  The  Mexi- 
cans, in  fact,  have  a saying  that  Jalapa  is  a part  of  heaven 
let  down  to  earth,  and  the  proverb  ^^Las  Jalapenas  son 
alaguenas^’  (Bewitching,  alluring  are  the  women  of  Jalapa). 

A less  pleasing  characteristic  of  the  town  are  its  frequent 
days  of  mist  and  rain,  a very  serious  drawback  to  the  en- 
joyment of  its  great  loveliness,  which  has  given  rise  to  an- 
other saying  in  Jalapa.  During  these  melancholy  days, 
the  Jalapeno,  muffled  in  his  sarape,  dismally  mutters,  Avo 
Maria  purisima,  que  venga  el  soT^  (Holy  Virgin,  let  the 
sun  shine). 

Jalapa  means  “a  place  of  water  and  sand.’^  It  was  an 
Indian  town  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  Conquest,  and,  be- 
cause of  its  position  on  what  for  a long  time  was  the  main 
road  between  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico  City,  early  became  a 
place  of  importance.  After  the  establishment  of  the  Re- 
public, it  was  made  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Vera  Cruz. 
The  medicinal  plant  from  which  that  nauseous  old  family 
medicine,  jalap,  is  extracted  is  grown  all  around  Jalapa. 

The  city  is  curious  and  old-fashioned,  with  houses  of 
crumbling  stucco;  their  red-tiled  roofs  project  over  the 
eaves  so  far  that  they  seem  to  cover  the  sidewalks  like  a 
shade,  and  extending  from  these  are  the  spouts  to  carry  the 
rainfall  from  the  roofs  to  the  centre  of  the  street.  Jalapa 
has  an  abundant  supply  of  water  and  a perfect  drainage 


A train  of  burros  toiling  up  one  of  the  steep  streets  in  ancient  Jalapa. 


398 


MEXICO 


heard,  they  evidently  seemed  to  think  that  Germany,  next 
to  Mexico,  must  be  the  greatest  country  in  the  world. 

I had  not  been  aboard  the  ship  many  minutes  before  I 
noticed  a sudden  change  in  the  weather ; some  dark  clouds 
on  the  horizon  increased  and  spread  with  wonderful  rapidity; 
before  long,  the  sky  began  to  take  on  an  ominous  leaden 
tinge,  and  the  sun^s  rays  shone  only  at  intervals  through 
the  drifting  clouds.  The  breeze,  which  had  been  quite  light, 
began  to  increase  in  force,  and  the  sea,  which  had  been  as 
smooth  as  glass,  was  very  soon  covered  with  whitecaps. 
I heard  cries  of  Norte  everywhere.  Some  fishing  boats 
came  dashing  into  the  harbor  for  safety,  with  the  spray 
flying  over  them;  a steam  launch  followed  them,  cutting 
through  the  rolling  waves.  Before  two  hours  had  passed, 
the  surf  was  breaking  over  the  jetties  and  another  norther 
was  full  upon  us.  The  captain  of  the  steamer  did  not  con- 
sider it  safe  to  venture  outside  that  night,  and  sailing  was 
delayed  until  seven  the  next  morning.  All  the  way  up  the 
coast  we  had  this  head-wind,  and  despite  the  luxury  of  the 
steamer,  those  passengers  who  were  not  good  sailors  did  not 
find  it  exactly  a voyage  of  pleasure. 

For  all  dangers  and  discomforts  I found  ample  recom- 
pense on  my  arrival  at  Tampico.  This  important  port  lies 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Panuco  River,  a magnificent  water- 
way, in  which  the  greatest  fleet  could  find  ample  harbor 
room.  Tampico,  with  a population  of  one  himdred  and 
sixty-three  thousand,  is,  in  fact,  becoming  the  chief  port 
of  Mexico,  even  surpassing  Vera  Cruz;  and  with  its 
safe  harbor  and  deep  water,  the  largest  vessels  can 
lie  alongside  the  wharves  to  receive  and  discharge  cargo. 
Over  four  hundred  ocean  steamers  call  at  Tampico  monthly, 
regular  liners  plying  between  New  York,  Mobile,  New 
Orleans,  Galveston,  Havana  and  European  ports,  and  the 
southern  seaport  cities  of  the  Mexican  Gulf  coast.  At  a 


TARPON  FISHING  AT  TAMPICO 


399 


cost  of  over  $3,000,000  a fine  new  custom-house  has  been 
built,  and  also  a great  wharf  at  which  five  large  steamers  can 
lie  at  the  same  time.  The  harbor  is  always  full  of  shipping, 
presenting  quite  a lively  and  busy  scene.  The  docks  are 
situated  some  little  distance  up  the  river,  and  back  of  these 
is  the  city,  a large  part  of  which  stands  on  a high  bluff, 
rising  to  a height  of  nearly  fifty  feet. 

While  its  appearance  is  very  different  from  that  of 
other  Mexican  cities,  Tampico  is  an  attractive-looking  place. 
The  houses  usually  have  sloping  roofs,  are  tinted  in  many 
colors  and  have  wooden  verandas  along  the  fronts  of  each 
story.  On  the  river  front  is  a picturesque  market-place, 
with  tents  and  numerous  white  umbrellas  beneath  which  the 
vendors  gather;  near  this  is  the  main  plaza,  from  which 
tram-cars  run  to  all  parts  of  the  city. 

The  rivers  which  join  the  sea  at  Tampico  are  navigable 
by  small  boats  for  a long  distance  into  the  interior,  and 
pass  through  some  fine  tropical  scenery.  Over  five  thou- 
sand boats,  varying  in  length  from  twenty  to  sixty  feet, 
are  kept  on  the  Tameso  and  Panuco  rivers  to  bring  to 
Tampico  the  wild  and  cultivated  products  of  the  country. 
Almost  every  conceivable  form  of  tropical  plant  and  fruit 
may  be  found  in  their  cargoes,  as  well  as  native-made  earthen- 
ware and  other  manufactured  articles.  The  Panuco  River 
is  about  eighteen  hundred  feet  wide  at  Tampico,  and  has 
an  average  breadth  of  eight  hundred  feet  for  several  miles 
from  its  mouth.  Some  distance  below  the  city  are  the 
jetties  which  form  the  harbor  where  the  river  flows  into 
the  sea ; and  here  is  La  Barra,  a village  with  a fine  sandy 
beach  on  which  the  surf  rolls  invitingly.  During  the  day- 
time the  place  is  usually  thronged  with  bathers. 

Tarpon,  however,  was  the  sole  object  of  my  visit  to 
Tampico.  Many  angling  enthusiasts  travel  thither  each 
season  to  fight  the  monstrous  fish,  all  of  whom  make  their 


400 


MEXICO 


headquarters  at  the  Southern  Hotel,  the  proprietor  of  which 
is  a jovial  American,  Colonel  Poindexter.  Among  the 
fishermen  who  come  to  Tampico  are  various  American  mil- 
lionaires and  many  of  the  English  and  French  nobility, 
the  register  of  the  Southern  Hotel  containing  names  that 
are  well  known  in  social  circles  the  world  over.  Mine  host, 
the  Colonel,  is  himself  a keen  angler,  and  looks  after  his 
fellow-devotees  of  the  rod  and  reel.  For  the  sum  of  four 
dollars  a day  he  provides  them  with  all  the  necessary  fish- 
ing-tackle, and  a boat  with  an  experienced  native  to  row 
and  assist  in  the  sport. 

Conducted  in  this  way,  tarpon  fishing  is  not  an  expensive 
sport,  and  what  is  more,  if  the  angler  has  ordinary  good 
luck,  he  rarely  leaves  Tampico  without  landing  one  of  these 
big  fishes.  Very  different  was  the  experience  of  a friend  of 
mine,  a wealthy  English  angler,  who  once  spent  several 
weeks  on  the  gulf  coast  of  Florida  in  quest  of  tarpon,  which 
is  popularly  known  there  as  the  silver  king.^^  He  chartered 
two  small  yachts  to  provide  quarters  for  himself  and  the 
members  of  his  fishing  party,  while  a small  steam  tug  was 
also  engaged  for  work  on  the  fishing  grounds.  In  addition 
to  the  crews,  a staff  of  skilled  fishermen  were  employed  to 
aid  in  tracking  the  wily  silver  king’^  to  his  watery  lair. 
After  cruising  up  and  down  the  coast  for  nearly  six  weeks 
without  seeing  a tarpon,  the  chase  was  abandoned  in  disgust. 
This  could  never  have  happened  at  Tampico,  in  whose 
waters  there  are  tarpon  in  plenty. 

For  a day  after  my  arrival  the  norther  blew  on,  and 
then  the  weather  became  fine  and  calm  again.  Under  these 
auspicious  circumstances  I made  a start  one  morning  in 
search  of  tarpon,  making  my  cruise  in  a boat  made  from  the 
trunk  of  a ceiba  tree.  It  was  about  twenty  feet  long  and 
twenty  inches  wide,  painted  blue  outside  and  green  within, 
and  was  manned  by  an  Indian  paddler  who  sat  in  front,  while 


TARPON  FISHING  AT  TAMPICO 


401 


I took  my  seat  amidships.  I had  a strong  rod  with  a stout 
reel,  while  my  line  was  braided  linen,  about  six  hundred 
feet  long,  of  which  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  was  kept 
coiled  inside  the  canoe  as  slack  in  case  something  took  the 
hook,  for  not  only  tarpon  but  great  jewfish,  shark  and  curel 
(a  large  species  of  pike,  weighing  as  much  as  sixty  pounds) 
are  plentiful  in  the  river. 

The  tarpon  has  a thick,  bony  jaw,  and  when  it  takes  the 
bait,  the  angler  must  give  his  line  a strong,  quick  jerk,  other- 
wise the  fish  is  liable  to  get  away.  As  soon  as  the  bait  is 
taken,  the  tarpon,  rushing  to  the  surface  of  the  water  with 
lightning  rapidity,  makes  a high  leap  in  the  air.  Unless  the 
hook  is  driven  well  into  the  jaw,  he  will  shake  it  out  of  his 
mouth,  and  again,  if  the  line  is  held  too  tight,  he  is  certain 
to  snap  it.  To  catch  a tarpon,  therefore,  needs  some  skill 
as  well  as  strength.  As  a well-known  angling  writer  has 
very  correctly  said : Tarpon  fishing  is  the  pitting  of  a man- 

sized  fish  against  an  angler  whose  rod  and  line  seem  utterly 
inadequate  for  the  fight.  It  is  the  taking  of  a seven-foot 
giant  with  a slender  thread,  and  this  in  a fight  that  may 
wear  away  an  afternoon,  the  whole  combat  being  accom- 
panied by  a series  of  thrilling  leaps.” 

We  went  up  the  river  with  the  tide  to  the  south  bank,  and 
at  first  the  fish  did  not  bite.  Along  the  bank  I noticed 
extensive  pastures  where  large  herds  of  cattle  were  fatten- 
ing for  shipment  to  Cuba  and  Yucatan.  These  cattle  come 
from  the  Para  grass  pastures  of  southeastern  Mexico  in  the 
State  of  Tamaulipas  (in  which  Tampico  is  situated)  and  the 
states  of  Vera  Cruz  and  San  Luis  Potosi.  Between  sixty 
and  eighty  thousand  head  pass  through  Tampico  every  year. 

Chatting  with  my  Indian  boatman,  I almost  forgot  that 
I was  fishing,  when  suddenly  my  float  disappeared.  I in- 
stantly gave  a sharp  jerk  and  threw  out  some  slack.  The 
next  moment  my  line  was  pulled  almost  tight,  and  about 


402 


MEXICO 


a hundred  feet  away  a large  silvery  fish  leaped  in  the  air. 
He  appeared  to  be  about  seven  feet  long,  and  seemed  to 
jump  twice  his  length  out  of  the  water.  It  was  a tarpon, 
king  of  game  fishes.  Amidst  a cloud  of  spray  up  in  the  air 
he  went  again,  his  silver  scales  glistening  with  rainbow  hues 
in  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Then  followed  a succession  of  leaps, 
none  of  them  alike,  while  the  head  of  the  great  fish  shook 
angrily  from  side  to  side  in  his  ineffectual  efforts  to  cast 
out  the  hook.  He  disappeared  and  sulked  for  a time 
beneath  the  water,  and  then  came  another  series  of  rushes 
and  leaps,  the  combat  taking  over  an  hour.  A half  hour 
passed  before  he  was  tired  out  and  I pulled  him  to  the  side 
of  the  boat  for  the  Indian  to  gaff.  On  landing  him,  I found 
that  he  was  only  of  medium  size,  weighing  about  one  hun- 
dred pounds.  He  did  not  look  nearly  so  big  as  when  he  was 
leaping  and  plunging. 

Tarpon  have  been  caught  at  Tampico  weighing  over  two 
hundred  pounds,  and  measuring  over  seven  feet  in  length, 
and  it  has  taken  hours  to  land  them.  The  average  catches, 
however,  range  from  four  and  a half  to  six  and  a half  feet 
long  and  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  and  seventy  pounds. 
One  fish  for  a day  is  generally  considered  good  sport,  and 
has  usually  to  be  paid  for  by  several  days  of  tired  muscles. 
The  sport  is  not  unattended  with  danger;  for  when  a big 
fish  has  not  been  properly  gaffed,  he  is  sometimes  stirred 
into  fresh  activity,  lashing  out  with  his  tail  with  a force 
strong  enough  to  stave  in  a canoe.  His  cutting  jaws  can 
also  inflict  ugly  wounds.  A well-known  American  angler, 
while  fishing  for  tarpon  off  the  Florida  coast,  hooked  a mon- 
ster weighing  considerably  over  a hundred  pounds.  Dur- 
ing the  combat  the  great  fish  made  a leap  which  landed  him 
with  a crash  on  the  angler’s  back,  inflicting  injuries  which 
nearly  killed  the  unfortunate  fisherman,  laying  him  up  for 
nearly  two  years.  The  only  disappointing  feature  of  tarpon 


TAEPON  FISHING  AT  TAMPICO 


403 


fishing  is  that  the  dead  fish  is  of  no  value  whatever,  the 
flesh  being  flavorless  and  rarely  eaten.  Occasionally  some 
angling  enthusiast  has  his  big  fish  stuffed  and  mounted; 
the  silvery  scales,  which  measure  about  four  inches  in  width, 
are  also  sometimes  kept  as  souvenirs. 

Going  down  to  the  jetties  the  next  day,  I fished  with 
one  line  in  the  river  and  another  in  the  sea,  catching  about 
twenty  pounds  of  fish  of  all  kinds  and  sizes,  some  of  them 
quite  gamy,  especially  the  pargito,  a fish  weighing  from 
one  to  five  pounds,  of  dark  color  above  and  white  below, 
somewhat  resembling  a bass  and  making  a good  fight  when 
hooked. 

The  fisheries  at  Tampico  are  the  finest  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  presenting  admirable  opportunities  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  canning  factories  to  supply  the  Mexican  market, 
which  now  depends  on  Europe  and  the  United  States. 
As  the  fish  are  very  abundant,  and  the  harbor  improvements 
make  the  banks  easy  of  access  in  all  weathers,  this  industry 
could  be  carried  on  during  the  entire  year,  and  at  the 
present  time  almost  without  a competitor  in  Mexico. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 


IN  NORTHERN  MEXICO 

That  part  of  Mexico  which  extends  southward  for  three 
or  four  hundred  miles  from  the  border  of  the  United  States 
has  very  little  resemblance  to  the  semi-tropical  regions 
still  farther  south  or  to  the  ^‘hot  lands’’  along  the  coast. 
It  is  largely  a vast  plateau,  with  great  plains  devoted  to 
grazing  purposes  and  providing  pasturage  for  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  cattle.  It  is  in  the  northern  states  of 
Chihuahua,  Coahuila  and  Durango  that  the  greatest  estates 
in  the  country  are  situated,  one  multi-millionaire  in  Chihua- 
hua having  a vast  property  of  seventeen  million  acres. 
The  traveller  can  roam  for  days,  crossing  mountains, 
valleys  and  plains  without  leaving  this  princely  domain. 
On  some  of  these  estates  there  are  private  railways,  with 
railway  stations  and  numerous  villages.  In  this  region 
are  great  ranches,  employing  hundreds  of  cowboys  and  pre- 
senting phases  of  life  fully  as  picturesque  as  the  once  famous 
American  wild  West. 

As  my  visit  to  Mexico  was  now  drawing  to  a close,  and 
I had  thus  far  confined  my  travels  to  southern  Mexico,  I 
decided  to  return  to  New  York  by  train,  and  on  the  way 
through  the  great  central  plateau  to  stop  at  one  or  two 
points  and  see  something  of  the  country.  With  this  object 
in  view,  I left  Tampico  one  morning  bound  for  San  Luis 
Potosi,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant.  The 
branch  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railway  which  connects  the 
two  cities  is  noted  for  its  scenic  attractions,  the  views 

404 


IN  NORTHERN  MEXICO 


405 


along  the  way  rivalling  those  on  the  Mexican  Railway 
between  Vera  Cruz  and  the  capital. 

Leaving  the  coast  and  running  westward,  the  line  crosses 
a series  of  great  sloping  plains,  extending  for  nearly  a 
hundred  miles,  which  are  well  adapted  for  grazing  purposes. 
They  are  covered  with  a coarse,  luxuriant  grass  known  as 
Para,  which  is  ever  green  and  is  a great  fattener  of  cattle. 
Numerous  streams  are  crossed,  for  the  country  is  unusually 
well  watered.  Coffee,  oranges,  bananas,  limes,  ginger  and 
other  tropical  fruits  and  plants  grow  luxuriantly  through- 
out this  region,  and  the  climate  is  delightful. 

Mounting  upwards  from  the  foot-hills,  the  line  reaches 
the  mountains  and  eventually  attains  an  altitude  of  over 
six  thousand  feet ; the  scenery  is  superb,  especially  in  the 
so-called  Abre  de  Caballeros.  Here  the  train  runs  along 
the  side  of  a lofty  mountain  beneath  the  shadow  of  great 
cliffs  which  tower  far  above,  while  below  is  a deep,  rocky 
canon.  From  a neighboring  mountain-side  leaps  a marvel- 
lous and  beautifully  colored  waterfall,  pouring  down  in  one 
cascade  after  another  until  there  are  a score  or  more,  some 
over  a hundred  feet  in  height  and  one  fully  three  hundred 
feet,  making  together  a chain  of  nearly  a mile  in  length. 
All  around  are  towering  mountain  peaks.  The  combined 
effects  of  water,  land  and  sky  are  wonderfully  grand. 

Farther  on  from  this  point  there  are  more  wonderful 
views  and  magnificent  distances  as  the  line  curves,  turns 
and  twists  upwards  among  the  mountains : at  one  point, 
six  curves  of  the  track  are  in  sight,  while  twelve  hundred 
feet  below  are  the  luxuriant  tropical  valleys,  with  here  and 
there  bright  green  fields  of  sugar-cane  and  fruits.  The 
line  winds  along  a shelf  hewn  in  the  side  of  the  almost 
perpendicular  cliffs,  around  curves,  through  a succession 
of  tunnels,  then  through  the  wild  San  Ysidro  Valley,  the 
mountain-sides  of  which  are  densely  wooded.  It  then 


406 


MEXICO 


emerges  on  the  sloping  plain  of  the  table-land  where,  at  an 
altitude  of  6116  feet,  is  situated  the  city  of  San  Luis  Potosi. 

Twenty  years  ago  this  old  town,  which  was  founded  in 
1566,  was  but  little  known  to  the  outside  world ; but  since 
the  advent  of  the  railways  it  has  become  a thriving  com- 
mercial place.  Situated  in  a fertile  valley,  it  is  surrounded 
by  mountains  rich  in  mineral  wealth,  especially  silver  and 
copper,  the  San  Pedro  mines  near  the  city  being  among 
the  most  productive  in  Mexico.  The  city,  in  fact,  derives 
its  name  from  its  supposed  resemblance  to  Potosi  in  Peru,  a 
famous  silver-mining  place.  It  is  a bright,  clean,  attractive 
town,  with  handsome  streets  which  vividly  recall  those  of 
Seville,  and  abounds  in  fine  old  churches,  rich  in  native 
decorative  art.  Among  the  public  buildings  are  the  library 
and  museum,  the  mint  and  the  state  capitol,  San  Luis 
Potosi  being  the  chief  city  of  the  State  of  the  same  name. 
With  good  hotels  and  theatres,  public  baths  and  lines  of 
electric  cars,  the  city  shows  every  sign  of  progress,  and  has 
attracted  a large  number  of  foreigners  who  have  settled 
there  to  engage  in  business.  It  is  distinguished  by  a general 
appearance  of  neatness,  which  is  largely  due  to  a local  law 
compelling  the  citizens  to  keep  their  dwellings  in  presentable 
condition,  and  prevents  their  becoming  careless.  During 
my  stay  in  the  city,  I visited  one  or  two  of  the  large  factories 
there,  the  machinery  of  which  is  operated  by  electrical 
power,  one  of  these  establishments,  which  is  devoted  to  the 
manufacture  of  ready-made  clothing,  having  all  the  latest 
appliances.  In  the  workrooms  the  cutting,  sewing,  press- 
ing and  even  the  attaching  of  buttons  is  all  done  by  ma- 
chines driven  by  electrical  power. 

The  country  around  San  Luis  Potosi  is  wonderfully 
productive,  and  this  has  done  much  to  increase  the  city’s 
prosperity.  On  the  great  haciendas  throughout  the  State 
are  grown  a variety  of  crops,  including  wheat,  barley,  sugar- 


IN  NOBTHERN  MEXICO 


407 


cane^  cotton  and  tobacco ; there  are  also  a large  number  of 
ranches^  the  country  being  exceptionally  well  adapted  for 
cattle. 

From  this  flourishing  district  I made  a journey  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  on  the  Mexican  Central  Railway 
to  the  picturesque  old  town  of  Aguas  Calientes  or  Hot 
Springs,  a popular  health  resort.  It  is  a quaint,  sleepy 
place,  with  a population  of  thirty-eight  thousand,  and  is 
situated  at  an  altitude  of  six  thousand  feet,  the  climate 
being  delightful.  There  are  several  good  hotels  in  the  town, 
which  are  generally  well  filled,  as  visitors  flock  to  the 
springs  from  all  parts  of  Mexico.  In  cases  of  rheumatism 
and  similar  diseases  the  waters  of  Aguas  Calientes  are  said 
to  effect  remarkable  cures.  At  the  springs  the  old  bath- 
houses have  been  strangely  named  after  the  apostles,  the 
figure  of  one  of  the  sacred  twelve  being  placed  over  each 
door,  with  figures  indicating  the  temperature  of  the  water 
within.  The  town  is  famed  for  its  pottery,  the  Aguas 
Calientes  ware;  and  sarapes  are  manufactured  there  in  great 
quantities.  Until  recently  the  town  was  also  noted  for  its 
drawn-work,  which  was  the  principal  occupation  of  the 
feminine  population,  the  finest  linen  being  drawn  in  the 
most  beautiful  and  complicated  designs.  One  beautiful 
drawn-work  costume,  which  was  made  in  the  town  and 
intended  for  exhibition,  took  nine  years  to  complete,  three 
hundred  expert  needlewomen  being  employed  on  it.  It 
is  without  seams,  of  exquisite  design,  and  is  valued  at  12000. 
Drawn-work,  however,  will  soon  be  a thing  of  the  past  in 
Aguas  Calientes,  as  the  women  now  find  work  in  factories 
or  other  occupations  which  yield  better  wages.  At  the 
present  time  a great  deal  of  imitation  drawn- work  is  actually 
imported  from  Germany  and  sold  to  unsuspecting  tourists 
as  the  work  of  native  needlewomen.  Even  the  gorgeous 
Mexican  sarapes,  I was  told,  are  not  all  manufactured  in 


408 


MEXICO 


Aguas  Calientes  by  patient  Indian  workmen,  but  many  of 
them,  sad  to  relate,  are  made  in  Germany.’^ 

From  Aguas  Calientes  the  Mexican  Central  Railway  runs 
northward  through  the  states  of  Durango  and  Chihuahua 
to  El  Paso  in  Texas,  a large,  enterprising  town  which  has 
become  an  important  railway  centre.  From  there  Cali- 
fornia can  be  reached  by  direct  train  via  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona.  There  are  also  connecting  lines  there  which 
take  the  traveller  to  other  parts  of  the  United  States. 

Some  remarkable  developments  are  being  made  in  this 
northern  part  of  Mexico ; and  the  rapidity  with  which  the 
whole  country  is  being  transformed  is  only  realized  when 
one  has  actually  been  there.  Lying  so  close  to  the  United 
States,  northern  Mexico  has  naturally  attracted  large 
numbers  of  Americans  who  are  settling  there  and  engaging 
in  mining,  farming  and  various  other  branches  of  business. 
New  mines  are  being  constantly  opened,  factories  are  spring- 
ing up  and  railways  are  being  extended  in  all  directions. 
This  rush  of  progress  has  had  a noticeable  effect  on  the  old 
cities  of  the  north,  notably  Durango,  Chihuahua  and  Za- 
catecas, which  are  being  rapidly  modernized.  Each  of 
these  cities  has  from  thirty  to  forty  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  all  of  them  are  built  in  the  same  substantial  manner, 
with  large  business  houses  and  fine  public  buildings.  Before 
the  railways  came  they  were  sleepy,  out-of-the-world  places, 
seldom  heard  of;  to-day,  like  San  Luis  Potosi  and  other 
towns,  they  have  shaken  off  their  lethargy,  suddenly  be- 
come busy  places  and  are  steadily  increasing  in  size  and 
importance. 

Zacatecas  is  one  of  the  most  important  silver-mining 
centres  in  Mexico ; since  the  metal  was  first  mined  there, 
in  1546,  the  mines  have  produced  an  amount  estimated  at 
over  $700,000,000.  The  present  annual  output  is  about 
$3,000,000. 


IN  NOBTHEBN  MEXICO 


409 


Durango  might  be  called  the  Pittsburg  of  Mexico,  as  it 
is  the  centre  of  an  important  iron  industry.  The  smoky 
atmosphere  and  dingy  back  streets  of  Pittsburg,  however, 
are  happily  non-existent,  for  Durango  is  a picturesque  city, 
with  fine,  clear,  mountain  air.  Near  the  city  is  a mountain 
of  iron  ore,  averaging  from  seventy-five  to  ninety  per  cent 
of  pure  metal,  almost  solid  iron!  A cavalier  in  Cortes’ 
time,  one  Sefior  Mercado,  heard  a wonderful  story  of  a 
mountain  of  silver,  and  visited  the  present  site  of  Durango, 
where  it  was  supposed  to  be.  To  his  intense  disgust  he 
found  nothing  but  iron.  His  memory  has  been  perpetuated 
by  the  name  of  the  mountain,  which  is  called  Cerro  Mer- 
cado. In  the  neighborhood  there  are  a few  silver  mines, 
but  iron  is  king.  Durango,  by  the  way,  is  over  seven 
hundred  miles  from  Mexico  City,  which  gives  some  idea 
of  the  magnificent  distances  of  Mexico. 

One  of  the  most  important  railway  enterprises  which  has 
been  carried  out  in  northern  Mexico  is  the  building  of  the 
Kansas  City,  Mexican  and  Orient  Railway,  which  is  now 
approaching  completion.  This  railway,  which  is  the  first 
direct  line  to  cross  the  frontier  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico,  will  extend  from  Kansas  City  to  the  Bay  of 
Topolobampo  on  the  Mexican  Pacific  coast,  a distance  of 
1659  miles.  It  runs  through  the  states  of  Chihuahua 
and  Sinaloa,  opening  up  a magnificent  country  of  immense 
area,  rich  in  mineral  and  agricultural  resources,  and  offer- 
ing tempting  inducements  to  settlers  with  small  capital. 
Topolobampo  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  harbors  in  the 
world,  having  a great  resemblance  to  the  famous  Bay  of 
Rio  Janeiro.  The  railway  will  connect  there  with  steamers 
for  the  Orient,  several  lines  having  arranged  to  make  the 
port  a place  of  call ; and  in  a few  years  this  place,  which 
has  been  named  Port  Stillwell,  will  become  one  of  the 
busiest  towns  on  the  coast.  Mr.  Arthur  E.  Stillwell,  who 


410 


MEXICO 


conceived  the  idea  of  this  wonderful  railway,  has  carried  it 
out  with  remarkable  energy,  having  enlisted  in  the  enterprise 
a large  amount  of  British,  French  and  American  capital. 

Agriculture  is  making  great  progress  in  the  northern 
states  of  Mexico,  irrigation  having  been  introduced  very 
extensively,  with  wonderful  results.  To  encourage  this 
system  of  agriculture,  the  Mexican  government  has  re- 
cently appropriated  $10,000,000  to  assist  the  owners  of 
irrigated  lands  in  making  further  improvements.  The 
import  duties  on  agricultural  implements,  cattle  for  breed- 
ing purposes,  etc.,  will  also  be  removed  for  a term  of  years 
for  their  benefit,  while  the  export  duties  on  the  products 
of  irrigated  lands  will  also  be  taken  off.  Mexican  lands, 
except  those  along  the  coast,  are  largely  dependent  upon 
irrigation,  and  by  this  system  millions  of  acres  of  land  here- 
tofore unproductive  are  now  producing  enormous  crops. 
Wherever  irrigation  is  introduced,  the  seemingly  worthless 
soil  at  once  becomes  wonderfully  fertile. 

Cotton  growing  is  also  an  important  industry  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  and  a number  of  mills  are  in  successful 
operation.  Great  quantities  of  wheat  are  grown  in  Chihua- 
hua, the  crop  averaging  about  1,500,000  bushels  a year. 
Sheep  farming  is  about  to  be  undertaken  in  this  State  by 
an  English  company,  which  has  recently  purchased  a tract 
of  land  fifty  miles  square.  This  is  to  be  stocked  with  sheep 
from  Australia,  and  by  breeding  and  interbreeding  with 
the  best  native  stock,  it  is  believed  that  a breed  of  sheep  can 
be  developed  in  Mexico  which  will  equal  any  in  the  world. 
Several  Australian  sheep  experts  have  been  engaged  for  this 
great  ranch.  Sheep  farming  in  Mexico  has  thus  far  been 
conducted  in  a very  haphazard  way,  and  the  country  has 
never  been  regarded  as  suitable  for  this  industry.  The  work 
of  the  English  company  is  therefore  being  watched  with 
a great  deal  of  interest. 


IN  NORTHERN  MEXICO 


411 


In  the  extreme  northwest  of  Mexico,  beyond  Durango 
and  Chihuahua,  is  the  rich  agricultural  and  mining  State 
of  Sonora,  which  borders  the  Pacific  Ocean.  It  is  the  second 
largest  State  in  the  Republic,  but  for  some  years  it  has 
continued  in  a condition  of  panic-stricken  stagnation  owing 
to  the  Yaqui  Indians,  who  to  the  number  of  about  five 
thousand  have  been  carrying  on  a campaign  of  revenge 
against  the  whites.  Mines  are  shut  down  and  industries 
neglected,  while  the  haciendas  are  fortified,  and  no  white 
dare  venture  far  from  the  towns  or  cuartels,  the  points 
where  the  troops  are  concentrated.  Some  idea  may  be 
formed  of  the  interests  involved  in  this  struggle  by  the  fact 
that  at  the  banks  of  Guaymas  and  other  Sonora  towns 
there  are  securities  representing  over  $50,000,000  of  Ameri- 
can capital  which  has  been  sunk  in  the  Yaqui  district  of 
Sonora  and  is  now,  for  the  time  at  least,  dead  money. 

There  seems  to  be  some  doubt  as  to  whether  the  Yaquis 
are  the  bloodthirsty  savages  their  would-be  Mexican  masters 
like  to  paint  them,  or  whether,  in  the  language  of  Senor  de 
Zayas  Enriques,  a well-known  Mexican  who  has  espoused 
their  cause,  they  are  a race  of  heroes.  Probably  the  truth 
is  somewhere  between  the  two  views.  Of  their  bravery 
there  can  be  no  doubt.  Wonderful  stories  are  told  of  it. 
One  Yaqui  chief  pursued  by  rurales  — the  Mexican  country 
soldiers  — from  the  vantage  post  of  a rock,  picked  off  his 
enemies  one  by  one,  till,  surrounded,  he  had  to  face  a 
mounted  officer  who  rode  at  him  with  uplifted  sabre.  He 
parried  the  blow  with  his  knife,  and  vaulting  on  the  horse’s 
back,  pinioned  the  arms  of  the  officer  and  spurred  the  horse 
to  a precipice  near.  There  the  horse  balked,  but  the  Ya- 
qui plunged  his  knife  into  its  flank  and  the  animal,  with 
its  two  riders  — the  Yaqui  crying  out  in  triumph,  the  officer 
with  terror  — were  hurled  to  death  on  the  rocks  below. 

So  much  for  their  bravery.  As  for  their  savagery,  it 


412 


MEXICO 


is  a fact  that  they  have  waylaid  many  harmless  persons  — 
Americans,  for  the  most  part  — and  killed  them  all,  in- 
cluding women  and  children.  There  are  also  many  cases  of 
alleged  brutality  against  them.  Some  of  their  own  tribe,  un- 
willing to  take  up  arms  against  the  Mexicans,  were  treated, 
so  it  is  reported,  in  a way  so  horrible  that  the  Yaquis  must, 
if  it  be  true,  forfeit  everyone^s  sympathy.  The  soles  of 
their  feet  were  cut  off,  their  eyes  gouged  out,  and  they  were 
dragged  out  into  a waterless  prairie  and  left  to  die.  From 
such  atrocities  it  might  be  supposed  that  the  Yaquis  are 
like  the  Apaches  and  other  bloodthirsty  North  American 
redskins  of  former  times,  wearing  feathers  and  painting 
their  faces.  The  Yaquis,  however,  while  somewhat  darker, 
are  not  unlike  the  other  Mexican  Indians;  they  have 
always  been  an  agricultural  people,  and  to-day  most  of 
them  dress  in  the  ordinary  peon  costume.  When  left  to 
themselves,  they  till  their  little  farms  and  are  quiet  and  in- 
dustrious. Most  of  them  speak  Spanish  as  well  as  the  Yaqui 
dialect. 

The  story  of  Yaqui  discontent  dates  back  to  the  Conquest. 
At  that  time  the  tribe  numbered,  it  is  related,  three  hundred 
thousand.  They  never  submitted  to  Cortes,  and  thereafter 
a guerilla  warfare  existed  in  Sonora,  broken  by  more  serious 
uprisings,  such  as  those  in  1735  and  1825.  In  1832  they 
successfully  opposed  any  Mexican  interference  with  their 
tribal  rights,  and  until  1848  were  left  in  supreme  control 
of  their  lands  round  the  Yaqui  River.  In  that  year  war 
broke  out  again,  lasting  until  1897,  when  a truce  was  called 
and  a treaty  finally  concluded.  But  in  less  than  a year, 
owing,  it  is  said,  to  the  wrongful  diversion  of  an  irrigation 
stream  by  a Mexican  landowner,  the  Yaquis  flew  to  arms, 
and  now  hold  the  district  by  a system  of  terrorism.  The 
country  is  covered  with  brush  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  high, 
through  which  are  trails  known  only  to  the  Indians.  They 


IN  NORTHERN  MEXICO 


413 


are  all  good  shots,  and  while  they  never  ride,  can  cover  on 
foot  as  much  as  seventy-five  miles  a day.  So  keen  is  their 
system  of  scouting  that  the  clumsy,  ill-drilled  Mexican 
soldiers,  recruited  mostly  from  the  jails,  have  no  chance; 
and  in  hand-to-hand  fighting  the  government  troops  have 
so  far  always  come  off  second  best. 

An  almost  incredible  condition  of  affairs  exists  at  the 
present  time  as  the  result  of  the  Yaqui  warfare.  Bands 
of  these  bloodthirsty  natives  are  constantly  prowling  about 
the  country  and  making  attacks  where  least  expected.  An 
instance  of  this  occurred  two  or  three  years  ago  at  the  little 
town  of  Toledo,  when  the  mayor  gave  a modest  banquet, 
the  entertainment  being  held  on  the  fiat  roof  of  his  house, 
according  to  the  custom  in  that  warm  country.  The  roof, 
being  illuminated,  offered  an  easy  mark  for  some  Yaquis 
who  happened  to  be  lurking  in  the  mountain  overlooking 
the  town.  In  the  midst  of  the  festivities  bullets  suddenly 
rained  among  the  guests,  killing  four  persons,  including 
the  mayor’s  wife  and  daughter.  Several  of  the  survivors 
were  wounded  as  they  hastily  retreated.  Similar  outrages 
have  occurred  elsewhere.  Even  at  Hermosillo,  the  capital 
of  Sonora,  a beautiful  and  progressive  city,  it  is  unsafe  to 
venture  many  miles  away.  Not  long  ago,  it  is  said,  a 
party  of  Americans,  while  motoring  near  the  town,  were 
fired  upon  by  some  Yaquis  concealed  in  the  bush,  and  barely 
escaped  with  their  lives.  Hermosillo  is  in  the  centre  of 
a rich  mining  region,  and  in  the  mountains  near  the  town 
are  a number  of  mines  of  gold,  silver  and  copper.  The  soil 
in  this  part  of  the  country  is  wonderfully  fertile,  great 
quantities  of  oranges,  wheat,  maize,  cotton,  sugar-cane  and 
tobacco  being  grown.  Mining  and  agriculture,  however, 
have  been  seriously  retarded  by  the  constant  dread  of  the 
Yaquis. 

Short  shrift  is  usually  given  to  the  Yaqui  marauders 


414 


MEXICO 


when  caught  red-handed  by  the  Mexican  soldiers.  With- 
out the  semblance  of  a trial,  a dozen  or  more  will  sometimes 
be  stood  in  a line  and  shot  down ; sometimes  they  are  hanged 
to  trees,  and  their  bodies  left  dangling  by  the  roadside  as 
a warning  to  their  surviving  comrades.  Deportations  of 
large  numbers  of  inoffensive  Yaquis  to  the  swamps  of  Yu- 
catan are  also  being  carried  out ; and  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment continues  to  wage  a merciless  war  of  extermination. 

It  was  almost  the  end  of  March  when  I returned  to  San 
Luis  Potosi  to  resume  my  journey  northwards,  my  desti- 
nation being  the  city  of  Monterey,  two  hundred  and  nine 
miles  distant.  The  Mexican  National  Railway  by  which  I 
travelled  runs  some  comfortable  trains  direct  to  St.  Louis, 
via  Monterey  and  Laredo,  the  distance  being  about  1553 
miles  and  the  journey  occupying  a little  over  four  days. 
The  train  which  I took,  one  morning,  the  Mexico  City-St. 
Louis  Express,  had  left  the  capital  the  day  before,  and  was 
composed  exclusively  of  Pullman  cars. 

From  the  railway  the  country  is  not  seen  at  its  best,  but 
for  some  miles  beyond  San  Luis  Potosi  the  line  runs  through 
a succession  of  fields  and  gardens  planted  with  semitropi- 
cal  fruits  and  vegetables  kept  green  by  irrigation.  In  this 
fertile  region  there  is  a great  estate  through  which  the  rail- 
way passes,  and  a brief  view  is  obtained  of  the  picturesque 
hacienda  building  of  white  stone,  which  looks  like  a walled 
fortress,  surrounded  with  tropical  gardens,  bright  with  flow- 
ers. Near  by  two  white  church  towers  peep  above  a little 
village  belonging  to  the  estate,  which  is  owned  by  the  Frias 
family  and  is  one  of  the  finest  in  Mexico.  Over  a thousand 
people  are  employed  on  it.  For  nearly  seventy  miles  the 
train  ran  through  the  great  rolling  plain,  strewn  with  cactus 
and  occasionally  relieved  by  long  stretches  of  cultivated 
land,  and  then  reached  the  town  of  Catorce.  Near  the 
railway  station  at  this  place  there  is  a stone  monument 


IN  NORTHERN  MEXICO 


415 


inscribed,  ‘'Tropic  of  Cancer,’^  the  country  south  of  the 
monument  being  within  that  zone.  Passing  this  imaginary 
line  brought  no  perceptible  difference  in  the  weather,  which 
continued  as  warm  as  ever,  with  the  usual  amount  of  dust 
in  the  air.  Catorce  is  Spanish  for  “fourteen,’’  the  town 
taking  its  name  from  a band  of  fourteen  desperados  who 
in  ancient  times  had  a fortress  there,  and  levied  tribute 
on  the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  country.  From 
San  Luis  Potosi  there  is  a gradual  descent  from  the  table- 
land, and  at  Catorce  the  line  leaving  the  plains  winds  be- 
tween the  mountains,  still  continuing  the  descent. 

The  next  important  town  is  Saltillo,  the  capital  of  the 
State  of  Coahuila.  Near  it  was  fought  the  battle  of  Buena 
Vista  between  the  Mexicans  and  the  Americans  in  February, 
1847,  when  the  Mexican  army  was  totally  defeated.  It  is 
a favorite  resort  for  well-to-do  Mexicans,  and  during  July 
and  August  life  there  has  been  described  by  a local  American 
scribe  as  “a  veritable  whirl  of  parties,  balls,  concerts  and 
burro  excursions.”  Standing  high  up  in  the  mountains 
at  an  altitude  of  5249  feet,  the  town  has  one  of  the  finest 
summer  climates  in  Mexico.  Saltillo  is  not  only  a health 
resort,  but  it  has  become  an  important  manufacturing  place, 
several  large  smelters,  rubber  factories  and  flour  mills 
having  been  started  there.  It  has  some  fine  streets,  good 
shops,  and  a magniflcent  club-house  wLich  contains  the 
largest  ball-room  in  Mexico. 

From  Saltillo  southwards  there  is  a succession  of  barren, 
sun-baked  mountains,  rocky  canons  and  arid  valleys,  dotted 
with  cactus,  but  almost  destitute  of  trees,  though  occasion- 
ally there  is  a green,  irrigated  patch  of  vegetation.  It  is 
a desolate  country ; for  miles  and  miles  scarcely  a town  or 
village  is  passed.  Occasionally  at  small  stations  there  are 
a few  adobe  huts  where  blanketed  peons  and  some  lean 
goats  are  visible,  but  otherwise  there  is  little  sign  of  life. 


416 


MEXICO 


It  is  a melancholy  country^  and  is  rather  depressing  to 
the  spirits.  It  seemed  to  have  had  an  especially  bad  effect 
on  two  Americans  who  took  seats  near  me  in  the  smoking 
compartment,  whither  I had  adjourned  to  try  the  efficacy  of 
a good  cigar  in  warding  off  the  blues.  They  were  strangers, 
but  soon  struck  up  an  acquaintance.  One  of  them,  a dark, 
plump,  rather  Jewish-looking  young  man,  with  smoothly 
shaven  face,  had  every  appearance  of  being  a drummer/' 
His  companion  was  a long,  lean,  angular  Westerner,  evi- 
dently a farmer,  with  a scrubby  gray  beard  which  he  stroked 
ruminatingly  with  one  hand,  while  in  the  other  he  held 
a big,  black,  unlighted  cigar,  which  he  chewed  vigorously 
from  time  to  time. 

^^Well,  sir,"  remarked  the  drummer,  ^^we  shall  soon  be 
seeing  the  last  of  Mexico,  and  getting  back  again  into  God's 
country.  Well,  I rather  reckon  they'll  never  see  yours 
truly  in  Mexico  again  for  the  rest  of  his  natural  life."  You 
ain't  done  well,  then,"  observed  the  Westerner.  ^‘Well?" 
retorted  the  other.  ^^Why,  I've  hardly  got  the  backbone 
to  face  my  people  in  Chicago.  I haven't  even  covered 
my  expense  account."  ^‘What's  your  line,  partner?" 
asked  the  lean  man,  with  some  show  of  interest.  ^H'm 
travelling  for  a soap  house,"  replied  the  drummer,  with  a 
deep  groan. 

The  farmer  gave  a vindictive  bite  to  the  end  of  his  cigar. 
^^Well,  well,"  he  remarked,  after  a short  silence,  reckon 
we're  both  in  the  same  boat,  neighbor,  when  it  comes  to 
losing  money."  Here,  to  my  horror,  he  actually  produced 
a small  piece  of  silver  ore  from  his  pocket.  Surely,  thought 
I,  this  cannot  be  another  “man  with  a scheme."  Is  there 
no  escaping  them  ? But  as  I listened  I heard  a very  differ- 
ent story  from  that  which  I expected.  “Well,  sir,"  con- 
tinued the  rural  tourist,  “that  little  chunk  of  metal  cost 
me  a pretty  pile  of  money.  I got  it  about  two  years  ago 


IN  NORTHERN  MEXICO 


417 


from  a fellow  that  came  from  down  Guanajuato  way  and 
was  a-visiting  in  our  district.  He  talked  me  into  putting 
up  two  thousand  good  American  dollars  to  work  a hole  in 
the  hills  somewhere,  that  he  swore  was  chock  full  of  silver. 
We  was  both  a-going  to  be  millionaires  in  a few  months. 
Well,  I ain’t  never  seen  one  cent  back.  Finally,  I got 
tired  o’  waiting,  and  came  down  to  Guanajuato  to  see  if 
anything  was  coming  out  o’  that  hole.”  ^^What  did  you 
find  in  it  ? ” asked  the  drummer.  Wal,”  dryly  replied  the 
man  from  the  West,  jest  found  that  there  wasn’t  even 
a hole.  I’ve  been  a-trying  ever  since  to  lay  my  hands  on 
that  silver  king;  and,  by  gum,  if  I ever  meet  him,  he  won’t 
work  no  more  holes  nor  any  more  skin  games  neither.” 
With  this  the  two  travellers  relapsed  into  silence ; both  of 
them  had  painful  memories  of  Mexico.  How  often  during 
my  travels  had  I encountered  the  ^^man  with  the  scheme,” 
but  how  little  had  I imagined  that  I should  ever  gaze  upon 
one  of  his  victims. 

Later  in  the  day,  after  winding  for  miles  between  the  bar- 
ren mountains,  the  train  at  last  reached  the  large  and  im- 
portant city  of  Monterey,  situated  in  a beautiful  valley  at 
an  altitude  of  fifteen  hundred  feet,  and  having  a much  bet- 
ter climate  than  many  places  farther  south.  Outside  the 
station  was  the  now  familiar  street-car  with  its  two  mules, 
still  undisplaced  by  electrical  traction,  and  the  usual  num- 
ber of  coches.  One  of  the  latter  took  me  to  a hotel  in  the 
middle  of  the  town,  which  is  nearly  a mile  from  the  railway, 
passing  along  some  dusty  roads  lined  with  shed-like  dwell- 
ings of  tinted  stucco,  which  give  a stranger  a very  unfavor- 
able first  impression  of  the  city.  From  this  unattractive 
highway  there  was  a sudden  transition  into  the  town  itself, 
where  there  were  good,  substantial  business  buildings  in 
the  somewhat  narrow  streets,  some  smart  shops  and  here 
and  there  a fine  old  Spanish  church. 


418 


MEXICO 


Monterey  has  a population  of  over  sixty  thousand,  and 
being  so  close  to  the  United  States  is  becoming  rapidly 
Americanized.  Large  numbers  of  Americans  are  living  in 
and  around  the  city,  and  a great  deal  of  American  and 
Canadian  capital  has  been  invested  there.  In  strolling 
about  the  streets,  I noticed  signs  of  Americanization  every- 
where, the  stores,  for  instance,  having  their  announce- 
ments in  English  as  well  as  Spanish;  and  at  some  of  the 
street  corners  boys  were  selling  a bright,  well-edited  Amer- 
ican daily  newspaper,  the  Monterey  News.  The  city  is  the 
capital  of  the  State  of  Nuevo  Leon,  and  was  founded  in 
1560.  Of  late  years  it  has  become  an  important  manu- 
facturing place;  there  are  large  iron  mines  not  far  dis- 
tant, and  half  a dozen  large  smelters  are  in  operation, 
where  lead  and  silver  are  extracted  from  other  ores.  On 
the  outskirts  of  the  city  are  several  big  breweries,  which 
manufacture  the  popular  Monterey  lager  beer.  As  an 
offset  to  the  beer,  the  city  also  does  a large  business  in 
mineral  water,  which  comes  from  the  Topo  Chico  springs 
a few  miles  out;  this  has  a great  medicinal  reputation  and 
is  sold  all  over  the  country. 

Monterey  is  famous  for  having  been  the  scene  of  an  im- 
portant battle  in  our  war  with  Mexico  in  1846,  when,  after  a 
desperate,  stubbornly  disputed  conflict  lasting  several  days. 
General  Taylor  defeated  a large  force  of  Mexicans  under 
General  Ampudia.  The  old  palace  of  the  bishops  of  Mon- 
terey, now  a picturesque  ruin,  standing  on  a hill  near  the 
town,  was  fortified  by  the  Mexicans,  and  was  the  scene  of 
fierce  fighting.  During  the  assault  of  the  city  the  contest 
raged  in  the  streets,  the  Mexican  soldiers  occupying  the 
houses  and  shooting  down  the  Americans  from  the  windows 
and  roofs. 

While  I was  in  the  city,  I accepted  an  invitation  to  ac- 
company an  American  friend  on  a visit  to  one  of  the  large 


IN  NORTHERN  MEXICO 


419 


ranches  in  the  State  of  Coahuila,  in  which  part  of  the  coun- 
try some  of  the  largest  Mexican  estates  are  situated.  Some 
of  the  ranches  there  have  an  area  of  two  or  three  hundred 
miles  and  are  over  seventy  miles  wide.  Much  of  the  coun- 
try is  an  undulating  plain,  with  a sandy  soil,  covered  with 
scrubby  bushes,  coarse  grass  and  cactus, 

A hot,  dusty  railway  journey,  which  consumed  the  greater 
part  of  a day,  took  us  to  a small  wayside  station,  where  a 
peon  awaited  us  with  two  horses.  A ride  of  several  miles 
brought  us  to  the  ranch.  We  spent  the  night  at  the  ranch 
house,  a small  building  of  stuccoed  adobe,  which  served 
as  the  headquarters  of  the  manager  of  the  estate.  Early 
the  next  morning,  after  a good  breakfast  prepared  by  the 
Mexican  cook,  we  again  mounted  our  horses,  and  guided  by 
one  of  the  cowboys,  an  American,  we  rode  about  fifteen 
miles  across  the  plain  to  a camp  where  a round-up  was 
to  take  place. 

Once  a year  every  ranch  has  its  round-up,  when  the 
cattle  are  collected  and  the  unmarked  yearlings  or  calves 
of  a year  old  are  branded,  the  work  usually  taking  about  a 
fortnight.  During  this  interval  the  cowboys  scour  the  range, 
gathering  the  bunches  of  cattle  together  and  driving  them 
towards  one  central  point,  where  there  is  a huge  stockade  or 
corral.  Towards  the  end  of  the  drive  there  are  oftentimes 
exciting  scenes,  many  of  the  wilder  animals  galloping  off 
and  being  brought  back  after  a long  chase.  Occasionally 
a bull  turns  and  charges  on  one  of  the  cowboys,  but  although 
a horse  is  sometimes  killed,  the  rider  usually  escapes.  At 
night,  too,  a herd  will  sometimes  stampede  through  fright 
and  run  for  miles,  some  of  the  animals  being  killed  in  the 
mad  flight. 

On  the  way  to  the  camp  I chatted  with  our  companion, 
the  cowboy,  a picturesque-looking  fellow  who  wore  a big 
straw  sombrero,  a blue  shirt,  a bright  red  handkerchief 


420 


MEXICO 


about  his  neck,  while  his  legs  were  encased  in  skin-tight 
leather  trousers,  a protection  against  the  thorns  which 
abound  in  the  low  scrub.  Around  his  waist  was  a well- 
filled  cartridge  belt  holding  a big  revolver.  It  was  a glo- 
rious morning,  with  a clear  blue  sky  overhead  and  a mild 
though  invigorating  breeze  was  blowing  over  the  great  plain, 
which  stretched  for  miles  to  a sky-line  of  rugged  mountains. 

^‘This  is  a great  country,”  I remarked,  but  our  cow- 
puncher  was  vigorously  chewing  a piece  of  plug  tobacco 
and  did  not  reply  immediately.  He  then  remarked : 
^'Good  enough  for  them  that  likes  it,  but  I prefer  God's 
country  for  mine.” 

^^You  would  rather  be  back  in  Texas,”  I observed. 
“That's  about  it.  Colonel,”  was  the  reply,  “there's  no  for- 
tune for  a ranch  hand  in  this  part  of  the  world.”  He  then 
went  on  to  tell  me  that,  like  many  another  young  American, 
he  had  drifted  down  into  Mexico  in  search  of  adventure, 
had  got  stranded,  and  had  been  obliged  to  take  the  first 
thing  that  offered  in  the  shape  of  work.  Cowboys  on  Mex- 
ican ranches,  so  he  informed  me,  were  supplied  with  a horse 
and  saddle,  paid  five  dollars  a month  and  provided  with 
food  and  lodging.  In  Texas  he  had  earned  about  thirty  dol- 
lars a month  and  his  board.  He  was  now  practically  a pris- 
oner, as  it  was  hard  to  save  money,  and  Texas  was  a long 
way  off.  It  was  therefore  not  surprising  that  he  sighed 
for  God's  country.  Aside  from  his  scanty  wages,  however, 
he  found  no  fault  with  the  work,  having  always  done  hard 
manual  labor.  I gathered  from  him  that  it  was  different 
with  a good  many  young  Americans  of  the  better  class,  and 
quite  a few  young  Englishmen  who  became  stranded  in 
Mexico  and  found  themselves  in  the  same  position  that  he 
was  in.  “These  tenderfeet  come  down  here,”  he  remarked, 
“expecting  to  find  a sort  of  Wild  West  Show.  Perhaps 
it's  all  very  funny  at  first,  but  that  soon  wears  off,  and  they 


IN  NOETHEBN  MEXICO 


421 


find  that  ranching  is  a pretty  hard  life.  We  start  work 
before  sun-up  and  keep  going  until  dark,  and  when  a fellow 
has  been  riding  miles  over  the  range,  chasing  cattle  all  day, 
all  he  feels  fit  for  at  night  is  to  eat  his  grub  and  turn  in.” 

When  we  arrived  at  the  camp,  a large  herd  of  cattle 
had  just  been  driven  into  the  corral  by  a party  of  cowboys 
or  vaqueros,  most  of  them  swarthy  Mexicans,  with  much 
shouting  and  yelling,  the  place  being  enveloped  in  clouds 
of  dust.  On  holidays  and  other  special  occasions  some  of 
these  vaqueros  appear  in  gorgeous  trappings  on  which  all 
their  savings  are  spent.  Their  jackets,  sombreros  and  sad- 
dle blankets  are  heavily  laced  with  gold  tinsel,  and  they 
wear  high  boots  and  leather  accoutrements  of  the  finest 
quality.  Wonderful  feats  of  horsemanship  and  lassoing  are 
exhibited  by  some  of  them. 

After  the  cattle  had  been  corralled,  the  calves  or  yearlings 
were  separated  from  the  herd  and  driven  into  a smaller 
enclosure,  where  several  men  were  stationed  with  long 
branding-irons  bearing  the  mark  of  the  ranch.  These  wex^e 
made  almost  red-hot  in  a blazing  fire.  One  after  another 
the  yearlings  were  dexterously  lassoed,  thrown  down  and 
then  held  by  two  of  the  vaqueros,  sometimes  only  after  a 
hard  struggle.  The  branding  iron  was  immediately  applied, 
burning  off  the  hair  and  leaving  the  imprint  on  the  skin. 
A peculiar  clip  was  also  given  to  the  ear  of  each  animal,  which 
enables  the  ownership  to  be  proved  whenever  they  get 
mixed  with  herds  belonging  to  another  ranch.  It  took 
nearly  all  day  to  brand  the  yearlings  in  the  corral;  they 
were  then  turned  loose  with  the  rest  of  the  herd,  which  was 
allowed  to  return  to  its  feeding-grounds.  The  same  process 
is  repeated  until  all  the  cattle  have  been  rounded  up  and 
branded. 

If  it  were  not  for  its  monotony,  there  would  be  much 
worse  modes  of  life  than  that  on  a Coahuila  ranch.  The 


422 


MEXICO 


country  is  wonderfully  healthy,  the  climate  resembling  that 
of  the  southern  part  of  the  United  States,  but  without 
the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  which  are  experienced  there. 
In  the  winter  months  the  weather  is  quite  bracing,  and  warm 
clothing  is  essential,  especially  when  a norther’^  swoops 
down  through  the  country.  I was  there  early  in  April,  at 
which  time  the  weather  is  almost  perfection. 

Since  the  great  prairie  lands  of  the  United  States,  which 
once  supported  immense  herds  of  cattle,  have  almost  dis- 
appeared, the  Mexican  ranches  have  begun  to  attract  much 
more  attention,  and  a large  amount  of  American  capital 
is  being  invested  in  them.  As  feeding  grounds  for  cattle, 
the  Mexican  ranges  do  not  compare  with  the  prairies,  such, 
for  instance,  as  formerly  existed  in  Texas  and  the  Indian 
Territory  (now  Oklahoma).  Instead  of  the  long,  luscious 
prairie  grass  on  which  the  American  herds  fattened,  the 
Mexican  cattle  have  to  browse  on  coarse  grass,  weeds  and 
even  cactus,  which  they  devour  in  spite  of  the  prickles.  In 
times  of  drought,  when  water  and  fodder  are  scarce,  the 
peons  sometimes  gather  quantities  of  prickly  pear  and  par- 
tially burn  off  the  sharp  spikes,  the  broad,  flat  leaves,  which 
are  very  juicy,  being  ravenously  eaten  by  the  cattle.  Owing 
to  the  poor  grazing  which  the  Mexican  ranges  afford,  it  is 
estimated  that  about  fifteen  acres  is  required  to  support  each 
animal,  so  that  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres 
is  needed  for  ten  thousand  head  of  cattle.  This  serves  to  ex- 
plain the  reason  for  the  enormous  extent  of  the  great  ranches. 

Next  to  the  question  of  food,  the  supply  of  water  is  of 
supreme  importance  in  a country  where  streams  are  scarce 
and  there  is  a long  dry  season.  On  most  ranches  the  bulk 
of  the  water-supply  is  obtained  from  wells,  the  water  being 
raised  by  means  of  windmills.  It  is  oftentimes  a long 
distance  from  the  feeding  grounds  to  the  water,  and  in 
times  of  drought  large  numbers  of  cattle  perish. 


IN  NORTHERN  MEXICO 


423 


The  native  Mexican  cattle  have  much  the  same  look  as 
the  Spanish  breeds,  with  long,  wide,  curving  horns,  but  are 
not  of  much  value  as  meat-producers.  They  cost  about 
S5  each.  Of  foreign  cattle  the  Swiss  and  Holland  breeds 
seem  to  thrive  best  on  the  Mexican  ranges,  and  these  are 
being  successfully  crossed  with  the  native  stock. 

On  the  ranch  which  we  visited  there  were  over  a thou- 
sand head  of  horses,  most  of  them  small,  bony,  wiry  animals, 
which  hardly  fetch  $3  in  the  market.  There  was,  however, 
some  fine-looking  stock,  the  result  of  crossing  the  native 
English  and  French  breeds.  On  some  of  the  ranches  from 
ten  to  twenty  thousand  horses  find  pasturage,  and  for 
breeding  purposes  are  divided  into  bunches  of  fifty  or  more, 
according  to  their  color,  browns,  roans,  grays,  etc.,  so  as 
to  secure  uniformity  in  the  stock.  After  being  kept  to- 
gether for  some  time,  these  bunches  never  become  mixed 
with  each  other,  but  when  roaming  over  the  range  each 
keeps  to  itself. 

In  addition  to  cattle  and  horses,  goats  are  popular  species 
of  live  stock  on  Mexican  ranches,  herds  of  five  and  ten  thou- 
sand being  quite  common.  Goats  are  very  profitable,  as 
a rule,  requiring  very  little  attention,  and  thriving  on  the 
poorest  pasturage.  Goats’  flesh  is  much  eaten  by  the  poorer 
classes  in  Mexico,  and  there  is  always  a good  market  for 
the  skins. 

We  passed  a pleasant  night  at  the  camp,  where  sleeping 
quarters  were  provided  in  two  or  three  large  tents.  Out 
in  the  open,  fires  were  kindled  by  the  Mexican  cooks,  who, 
with  the  aid  of  sundry  pans  and  skillets  prepared  a very 
appetizing  supper  for  the  hungry  ranchmen.  There  was 
fried  beef,  pork  and  beans,  freshly  baked  hardtack  and 
coffee.  Later  in  the  evening,  in  honor  of  our  visit,  a flask 
of  rye  whiskey  was  produced  from  some  place  of  conceal- 
ment, and  a homoeopathic  quantity  subtracted  by  each  of  us. 


424 


MEXICO 


As  we  sat  round  the  fire  enjoying  a smoke,  the  scene  was 
delightfully  picturesque.  Above,  in  the  clearest  of  skies, 
was  the  bright  moon  and  a blaze  of  stars,  which  lighted  the 
great  plain  stretching  for  miles  to  the  westward.  One  of 
a party  of  Mexicans  who  were  squatting  together  a short 
distance  away  produced  an  old  mandolin,  and  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  this  his  companions  joined  in  singing  one  of 
those  plaintive  Spanish  songs  which  seem  to  strangely 
harmonize  with  the  life  of  Mexico.  Stirred  into  activity 
by  this  burst  of  song,  some  coyotes  or  prairie  wolves  not 
far  off  set  up  a dismal  howling,  to  which  some  of  the  dogs 
in  the  camp  replied  in  wonderful  imitation.  In  this  part 
of  the  country  there  are  not  only  coyotes  but  lynx,  puma, 
and  cinnamon  bears,  affording  excellent  sport  for  those  who 
are  handy  with  a rifle. 

During  the  evening  I entered  into  conversation  with 
the  ranch  foreman,  a very  intelligent  Mexican,  who  had 
been  employed  on  one  of  the  great  ranches  of  northern 
Mexico,  much  larger  in  extent  than  the  average  American 
county.  I had  some  curiosity  to  learn  how  these  great 
estates  are  managed.  He  informed  me  that  this  particular 
estate  was  divided  into  farms  of  from  one  thousand  to 
twenty-five  hundred  acres  each,  a foreman  being  placed 
in  charge  of  each  farm  and  managing  it  independently. 
Machinery,  tools,  horses,  mules,  wagons  and  money  for 
the  peons  was  furnished  to  each  foreman.  At  certain  parts 
of  the  estate  there  were  general  stores  where  the  peons 
could  obtain  their  food,  clothing  and  other  requisites  on 
credit.  Most  of  them  remained  in  debt  to  the  stores,  and 
never  saw  any  of  the  money  representing  their  wages.  In 
some  cases  an  entire  village  would  be  in  this  condition  of 
indebtedness.  On  this  estate  there  were  three  thousand 
peons,  who,  with  their  families,  made  a total  population  of 
ten  thousand. 


IN  NOBTHEBN  MEXICO 


425 


Although  the  country  seems  very  barren  when  viewed 
from  the  railway,  and  the  ranges  seem  to  afford  very  scanty 
subsistence  for  the  cattle,  Coahuila  is  nevertheless  one  of 
the  richest  agricultural  States  in  Mexico.  The  soil  in  many 
places  is  wonderfully  fertile,  yielding  large  crops  of  wheat, 
cotton,  sugar-cane  and  maize.  Grapes  are  now  being  grown 
to  some  extent,  and  an  excellent  quality  of  wine  has  been 
produced,  superior  in  some  respects  to  that  of  California. 
There  are  also  great  orchards  of  such  fruits  as  apples,  pears 
and  quince.  As  Coahuila  is  just  below  the  boundary  of 
the  United  States,  and  railway  connections  are  steadily 
improving,  it  offers  many  attractions  to  settlers.  Large 
numbers  of  Americans  with  capital  are  coming  into  this 
part  of  Mexico.  One  of  the  Coahuila  towns,  Torreon,  which 
was  until  recently  a small  Indian  village,  has  now  a large 
American  population  and  has  been  transformed  into  a 
thriving,  busy  place,  with  substantial  buildings  of  brick 
and  stone,  equipped  with  electric  light,  telephones  and 
other  modern  accessories. 

My  visit  to  this  interesting  State  was  a fitting  close  to 
my  Mexican  travels.  Here,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  Repub- 
lic, I found  the  same  development  of  resources  in  progress, 
the  same  inrush  of  new  methods,  the  awakening  of  the 
people  and  the  steady  Americanization  of  the  land.  Here, 
too,  I found  that  touch  of  the  picturesque  which  makes 
Mexico,  with  all  her  faults,  so  fascinating  to  the  stranger 
within  her  gates ; for  the  deep  blue,  cloudless  sky,  the  vast 
herds  of  cattle  and  the  galloping  vaqueros  are  things  to  be 
remembered  for  many  a day. 

The  next  morning  I rode  with  my  companion  back  to  the 
railway,  and  a few  hours  later  was  again  on  the  train  return- 
ing to  Monterey,  with  its  busy  streets  and  hum  of  life. 
Two  days  afterwards  I boarded  the  St.  Louis  express  once 
more  and  resumed  my  journey  northwards. 


426 


MEXICO 


It  is  166  miles  from  Monterey  to  Nuevo  Laredo  on  the 
Rio  Grande  River,  which  divides  Mexico  from  the  United 
States.  The  scenery  for  half  the  distance  continues  of  the 
same  arid  description,  dry  valleys,  with  cactus  and  scrubby 
vegetation,  and  low,  barren,  sun-baked  hills.  Then  comes 
a wide  plain,  stretching  to  the  horizon,  a desolate  region, 
with  the  same  scrubby  bushes  and  dry,  yellow  grass. 
Travellers  coming  from  the  North  get  a very  bad  impression 
of  the  country  in  the  dry  season.  I have  heard  people 
who  have  been  in  Texas  and  have  gone  down  a few  miles 
over  the  border  into  Mexico,  denouncing  the  country  as  a 
perfect  desert.  They  have  simply  seen  a few  leagues  of 
these  barren  plains  and  sun-baked  hills  and  call  that  see- 
ing Mexico.’^ 

At  the  little  station  of  Nuevo  Laredo  I bade  farewell, 
with  many  regrets,  to  old  Mexico.  There  was  a halt  of 
a few  minutes  here  and  a cursory  examination  of  baggage. 
It  appeared  that  some  serious  robberies  had  recently  oc- 
curred in  the  capital,  and  the  police,  thinking  that  the 
thieves  might  be  attempting  to  leave  the  country  with  their 
plunder,  had  ordered  a search  to  be  made  for  suspicious 
persons  and  baggage  at  Vera  Cruz  and  Tampico  and  at  all 
railway  stations  along  the  American  border.  I exchanged 
a few  words  with  the  polite  old  customs  officer,  who,  with 
his  bronzed,  bearded  face  and  military  bearing,  might  have 
stepped  from  a canvas  by  Velasquez.  As  I got  on  the 
train,  which  was  already  moving,  he  lifted  his  hat,  and 
with  graceful  courtesy  said,  ^^Adios,  sehor,  vaya  usted 
con  Dios.’’ 

The  sun  was  slowly  sinking  over  the  reddish  hills  of  Mex- 
ico as  our  train  steamed  over  the  long  steel  bridge  spanning 
the  wide,  shallow  Rio  Grande  River,  to  the  bustling  town 
of  Laredo,  Texas.  Looking  backwards,  I could  see  the 
little  station,  with  its  group  of  drowsy  peons  loafing  outside. 


IN  NORTHERN  MEXICO 


427 


while  above  it  the  red,  white  and  green  flag  of  Mexico 
floated  idly  in  the  evening  breeze.  Back  there,  beyond  the 
miles  of  barren  mountains  and  plains  were  the  everlasting 
hills  tipped  with  snow,  overlooking  many  a quaint  old  town, 
with  its  ancient  churches  and  its  sunny  plazas  bright  with 
a wealth  of  flowers,  where  a kindly  though  slowly  progress- 
ing people  were  still  living  the  life  of  the  past.  Back  there, 
at  least,  the  picturesque  still  survived;  but  was  it  to  be 
soon  obliterated  by  the  prosaic  American  invasion? 

As  if  in  answer  to  this  question,  a sharp,  businesslike 
voice  greeted  my  ear.  ^^All  the  latest  books  and  papers — 
San  Antonio  Express,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago  papers. 
Here’s  all  of  ’em.”  We  had  reached  the  American  side  of 
the  river,  and  a hustling  news-vendor  had  boarded  the  train 
with  a fresh  supply  of  literature.  At  the  same  moment 
another  brisk  voice  broke  in  with,  Laredo ; all  passengers 
out  for  customs  examination.  Please  step  lively.”  Some 
local  celebration  happened  to  be  in  progress,  and  the  station 
was  decorated  with  masses  of  American  flags.  Just  as  I 
left  the  train,  a brass  band  blared  forth  ^^Hail,  Columbia,” 
and  a crowd  of  enthusiastic  citizens  rent  the  air  with  ear- 
piercing cheers. 

Here  was  Laredo,  the  outpost  of  the  United  States, 
with  its  energy,  its  push,  and  its  inspiring  patriotism ; and 
there,  across  that  wide,  shallow  river  was  Mexico,  the  old, 
the  romantic,  the  picturesque,  slowly  but  surely  awakening 
into  new  life  through  the  oncoming  host  of  American  in- 
vaders. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 


MEXICAN  PROBLEMS  OF  TO-DAY 

In  the  previous  chapters,  which  were  originally  written 
before  the  downfall  of  the  Diaz  government,  the  author  has 
endeavored  to  give  an  accurate  description  of  Mexico  as  it 
appeared  at  that  time.  The  country  was  then  peaceful 
and  prosperous,  and  even  in  its  remotest  parts  life  and 
property  were  protected  by  the  strong  arm  of  the  law. 

To-day,  some  of  the  northern  states  are  under  the 
control  of  revolutionists,  and  in  Sonora,  Chihuahua, 
Coahuila,  Durango,  Sinaloa,  Nuevo  Leon,  and  Tamaulipas 
marauding  bands  have  excited  terror  far  and  wide.  The 
once  prosperous  cities  of  Durango,  Chihuahua  and  Torreon 
have  been  partly  destroyed  and  thousands  of  refugees  have 
fled  across  the  border.  Tampico,  once  famous  for  its  tar- 
pon fishing,  is  now  better  known  as  the  scene  of  some 
fiercely  contested  battles  between  Federalists  and  revolu- 
tionists. Nuevo  Laredo,  a peaceful  spot  when  the  pre- 
ceding chapter  was  written,  has  also  witnessed  some 
desperate  fighting. 

In  spite  of  the  successes  of  the  revolutionists,  however,  it 
would  be  a mistake  to  suppose  that  the  whole  of  Mexico 
has  been  in  a state  of  disorder.  Newspaper  reports,  it  is 
true,  have  tended  to  give  this  impression;  but  the  fact 
really  is  that  the  revolutionary  uprisings  have  been  confined, 
almost  exclusively,  to  the  northern  provinces  far  from  the 
capital.  The  city  of  Durango,  for  example,  is  over  seven 
hundred  miles  from  Mexico  City.  And  even  in  these 
northern  states  the  Federal  troops,  stationed  at  important 

428 


THE  MEXICAN  SITUATION 


429 


points,  have  been  able  to  withstand  the  attacks  of  the 
revolutionists.  In  the  south  the  only  revolutionary 
movement  of  any  importance  has  been  headed  by  the  bandit 
chief,  Emiliano  Zapata,  who  has  terrorized  certain  parts  of 
Morelos  and  Guerrero,  while  other  bands  of  brigands  have 
committed  depredations  near  the  ancient  port  of  Acapulco. 
The  mountainous  character  of  that  part  of  Mexico  (see 
page  233)  has  made  it  extremely  difficult  for  the  government 
forces  to  suppress  the  Zapatistas.  Yet  with  this  exception 
southern  Mexico  has  remained  perfectly  tranquil;  while 
in  the  capital  and  such  cities  as  Guadalajara,  Guanajuato, 
Puebla  and  Oaxaca  business  has  proceeded  without  any 
serious  check. 

The  remarkable  contrast  afforded  by  conditions  in  the 
north  and  south  is  to  be  largely  explained  by  the  varied 
character  of  the  Indian  laboring  population.  As  mentioned 
in  Chapter  X,  great  differences  exist  between  the  Indian 
races  in  various  parts  of  the  Republic.  Some  of  the  Indian 
peons,  found  chiefly  in  the  southern  states,  are  descendants 
of  tribes  which  were  engaged  in  agriculture  at  the  time  of 
the  Spanish  conquest.  Such  Indians  are  intelligent  and 
peaceable,  and  are  capable  of  making  great  improvement. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  some  Indians  who  bear  a close 
resemblance  to  the  degenerate  specimens  to  be  seen  in 
Arizona,  — dirty,  ignorant,  and  impossible  to  improve. 
Over  two  millions  of  the  Mexican  Indians  are  unable  to 
speak  Spanish,  although  living  in  the  midst  of  Spanish- 
speaking communities.  Only  a small  proportion  of  the 
Indian  population  can  read  and  write. 

In  the  north  large  numbers  of  the  peons  are  descended 
from  flerce  tribes  somewhat  akin  to  the  American  Apaches, 
but  having  a slight  infusion  of  degenerate  Spanish  blood. 
Their  development  and  advancement  have  been  hindered 
by  their  inheritance  of  certain  savage  traits.  To  this  class 


430 


MEXICO 


belong  the  typical  Mexican  ''greasers/^  so  numerous  in  the 
northern  states  just  below  the  American  border.  Many  of 
these  Mexicans  have  lived  in  Texas,  Arizona  or  New  Mexico, 
employed  as  farm  hands  or  railroad  laborers ; some  of  them 
were  born  in  the  border  states.  Mexicans  of  this  class 
are  very  different  from  the  peons  living  further  south. 
Having  become  slightly  Americanized,  they  are  more  diffi- 
cult to  manage  than  the  other  native  laborers ; they  demand 
higher  wages,  and  are  dissatisfied  with  present  conditions 
in  Mexico.  Incidentally,  this  serves  to  explain  why  revo- 
lutions have  recently  made  such  rapid  headway  in  the  north. 

In  a previous  chapter  the  author  has  described  the 
peonage  system,  which  has  existed  for  ages  in  Mexico.  He 
has  also  explained  how  this  system,  which  has  practically 
amounted  to  slavery,  has  tended  to  degrade  and  brutalize 
the  Indian  population.  It  may  be  added  that  the  ignorance 
and  superstition  of  the  average  peon  are  almost  beyond 
belief.  He  will,  for  instance,  make  a long  pilgrimage 
to  some  holy  shrine  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  his  luck 
in  a lottery  or  success  in  killing  an  enemy.  His  religion  is 
oftentimes  strangely  blended  with  the  grossest  paganism. 
Temperamentally,  he  displays  the  most  amazing  contrasts. 
While  he  will  invariably  treat  his  children  with  the  greatest 
tenderness,  he  will  seldom  show  any  kindness  to  dependent 
animals,  and  will  callously  beat  and  starve  his  horse  or 
burro.  At  peace  he  will  share  his  last  tortilla  with  a friend 
and  will  risk  his  life  for  his  employer.  As  a revolutionist 
he  becomes  transformed  into  the  embodiment  of  lust  and 
ferocity.  He  will  then  take  delight  in  outraging  women  and 
slaughtering  defenceless  prisoners.  While  this  description 
applies  more  especially  to  the  peons  of  the  north,  similar 
traits  are  to  be  found  among  the  great  mass  of  Indians  in 
other  parts  of  Mexico. 

As  a rule  the  peons  respect  no  government  that  they  do 


THE  MEXICAN  SITUATION 


431 


not  fear ; but  when  kept  in  order  by  a strong  hand  most  of 
them  are  quiet,  inoffensive  working  people  with  wants  so 
simple  that  they  will  toil  for  very  low  wages.  Curiously 
enough,  if  paid  much  in  excess  of  what  they  want  it  does 
not  improve  their  condition.  The  extra  money  is  spent  for 
pulque,  mescal  and  other  intoxicants  and  results  in  fewer 
working  days.  Thousands  in  the  north  have  no  other 
earthly  possessions  than  their  ragged  clothes  and  tattered 
blankets . They  are  ignorant,  dirty,  immoral,  and  are  savages 
at  heart.  Having  nothing  at  stake  in  the  country,  they  are 
ready  to  join  in  any  revolution,  regardless  of  its  object. 

Of  the  fifteen  million  Mexicans  less  than  half  a million  are 
real  whites,  pure  Indians  or  mixtures  of  some  kind  forming 
the  bulk  of  the  population.  The  mestizos  or  mixed  bloods, 
who  may  be  regarded  as  the  typical  Mexicans  of  to-day, 
constitute  about  43  per  cent  of  the  population.  To  this 
mixed  class  belong  certain  grades  of  professional  men,  and 
also  the  better  types  of  the  working  population,  such  as 
clerks  and  mechanics.  From  this  class  are  drawn  the  great 
majority  of  Mexican  voters,  for,  as  already  mentioned,  the 
suffrage,  in  practice,  is  strictly  limited.  In  fact,  it  is  said 
that  of  the  fifteen  million  Mexicans  less  than  twenty  thou- 
sand ever  cast  ballots.  It  may  be  added  that,  according  to 
the  last  census,  there  were  over  sixty  thousand  foreigners 
resident  in  Mexico  — Spaniards,  Americans,  French,  and 
English  predominating. 

Between  the  Indian  laborer  and  the  intelligent,  educated 
Mexican  of  the  upper  classes  there  is  almost  the  same 
difference  as  exists  between  the  whites  and  the  colored  popu- 
lation in  South  Africa.  It  would  indeed  be  difficult  to 
define  exactly  what  constitutes  the  middle  class.  The  fact 
is,  that  the  Mexican  people  have  always  been  divided  into 
two  classes,  the  upper  and  the  lower.  A middle  class,  such 
as  in  Europe  or  the  United  States  forms  a solid  strata  of 


432 


MEXICO 


intelligent  citizenship^  tends  but  slowly  to  appear  in  Mexico. 
There  is,  however,  a small  middle  class  of  petty  landowners, 
of  meagre  intelligence  and  somewhat  dissatisfied  with  pre- 
vailing conditions.  From  this  class  is  usually  recruited  the 
bandit  chiefs  and  leaders  of  revolutions. 

The  well-to-do  Mexicans  are  strangely  apathetic,  and 
until  recently  have  been  seldom  willing  to  make  any  sacri- 
fices for  their  country.  As  explained  in  Chapter  IX,  a 
Mexican  of  the  higher  class  has  usually  but  one  ambition, 
namely,  to  enter  political  life  and  obtain  some  well-paid 
appointment.  Almost  every  man  of  this  type  thinks  that 
he  ought  to  be  President,  and  is  firmly  convinced  that  he 
is  the  only  man  who  can  save  the  country  by  filling  that 
important  office.  To  become  President  such  men  have 
been  ready  to  arm  savages  and  to  fight  their  way  to  power. 
As  long  as  his  own  interests  are  not  affected,  the  average 
upper-class  Mexican  is  indifferent  to  what  his  fellow-citizens 
elsewhere  may  be  enduring ; he  will  not  serve  in  the  army ; 
he  is  utterly  helpless,  and  he  expects  the  government  to  do 
almost  everything  for  him. 

As  the  result  of  the  recent  outrages  of  revolutionists,  how- 
ever, a civic  spirit  has  at  last  been  aroused  among  Mexicans 
of  the  upper  class.  At  the  present  time  they  are  not  only 
subscribing  large  sums  of  money  for  the  support  of  the 
national  government,  but  the  younger  men  are  forming 
social  defence  associations  to  protect  the  country  against 
the  devastation  of  bandits. 

When  the  character  of  the  Mexican  people  is  considered, 
the  government  of  Diaz  seems  to  have  been  all  the  more 
wonderful.  While  it  is  true  that  it  eventually  became  cor- 
rupt, yet  for  thirty  years  it  gave  the  country  freedom  from 
revolutions  and  an  opportunity  to  make  some  progress. 
As  already  observed,  the  events  that  have  happened  since 
the  retirement  of  General  Diaz  have  furnished  conclusive 


THE  MEXICAN  SITUATION 


433 


evidence  that  Mexico  is  unfitted  to  be  a republic  in  the  ordi- 
nary sense  of  the  term.  In  fact,  the  great  mass  of  Indian 
peons  would  be  utterly  unable  to  understand  the  meaning 
of  a ballot  or  to  make  any  use  of  it. 

The  truth  is  that  what  Mexico  needs  is  a strong  central 
government  headed  by  such  a man  as  Lord  Kitchener,  one 
of  unblemished  record,  a soldier,  statesman  and  adminis- 
trator; and  what  Lord  Kitchener  accomplished  in  Egypt 
might,  to  a great  extent,  be  brought  about  in  Mexico.  But 
as  a Kitchener  is  not  to  be  found  in  Mexico  to-day,  the  place 
must  needs  be  filled  by  a Mexican  substitute  — a man  of 
strong  character,  who  understands  his  countrymen,  who 
has  the  confidence  of  the  army  and  is  able  to  restore  order. 
It  is  clear  that  the  first  step  towards  the  future  betterment 
of  the  people  must  be  the  suppression  of  the  present  insur- 
rections and  the  establishment  of  peace. 

As  to  the  causes  of  the  various  revolutionary  outbreaks 
in  Mexico  several  explanations  have  been  given.  It  has 
been  asserted,  for  instance,  that  they  were  the  direct 
result  of  the  rivalries  of  the  British  and  American  oil  inter- 
ests in  their  struggle  for  control  of  the  Mexican  oil  proper- 
ties. One  interest  has  been  accused  of  supporting  the  revo- 
lutionists ; the  other  has  been  charged  with  upholding  the 
Huerta  government  in  order  to  gain  valuable  concessions. 
As  a recent  writer  has  observed,  ‘Hhe  whole  Mexican  situa- 
tion has  reeked  with  crude  petroleum.’’ 

While  certain  oil  interests  may  possibly  have  assisted  in 
fomenting  the  present  revolutions,  it  seems  more  probable 
that  their  principal  cause  was  the  spread  of  distorted  social- 
istic ideas  among  the  laboring  population  of  northern 
Mexico.  It  is  in  the  north  that  most  of  the  vast  private 
estates  exist,  while  in  southern  Mexico,  to  a large  extent, 
the  land  has  been  divided  among  small  owners.  The 
revolutionists  in  the  north  are  insisting  that  the  great 


434 


MEXICO 


haciendas  (described  in  pages  325-404)  must  be  divided 
among  the  laboring  population.  This  doctrine,  it  will  be 
recalled,  formed  part  of  the  programme  of  the  late  President 
Madero;  but  his  theories  of  land  ownership  were  like  his 
ideas  on  universal  suffrage,  far  in  advance  of  his  time.  His 
downfall,  in  fact,  was  largely  due  to  his  inability  to  put 
these  theories  into  practice. 

As  a matter  of  fact,  a division  of  land  would  not  solve  the 
Mexican  problem.  Generally  speaking,  land  in  northern 
Mexico  corresponds  to  what  has  been  described  in  Chapter 
XXVII.  That  part  of  the  country  abounds  in  arid,  cactus- 
strewn  deserts,  which,  however,  become  remarkably  fertile 
wherever  irrigation  is  introduced.  Under  present  condi- 
tions it  would  be  impossible  for  squatters  to  live  on  this  land 
unless  the  government,  first  of  all,  irrigated  it  at  enormous 
expense.  It  would  then  be  necessary  to  provide  these 
native  settlers  with  agricultural  implements  and  the  means 
of  subsistence  until  they  became  self-supporting.  Further- 
more, owing  to  their  idleness,  improvidence  and  utter  lack 
of  agricultural  training,  the  present  race  of  Indian  peons 
could  not  possibly  become  successful  farmers.  Thus  far  it 
has  been  only  the  wealthy  landowners  who  could  afford  to 
irrigate,  although  it  is  true  that  in  1908  (see  page  410) 
President  Diaz’s  government  spent  a large  amount  of  money 
for  irrigation  work.  While  this,  however,  resulted  in 
benefit  to  the  well-to-do  hacendados,  it  failed  in  its  object 
of  promoting  small  ownership.  The  solution  of  this 
problem  is  one  that  would  tax  the  resources  of  even  a 
Kitchener;  and  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  any  Mexi- 
can statesman  will  be  equal  to  the  task. 

Mexico,  it  may  be  added,  would  be  vastly  improved  if 
there  could  be  a great  influx  of  European  immigration,  with 
a resulting  admixture  of  new  blood.  The  beneficial  effects 
of  such  immigration,  as  witnessed  in  Argentina  and  other 


THE  MEXICAN  SITUATION 


435 


South  American  republics,  might  be  experienced  by  Mexico 
if  extensive  immigration  were  only  possible.  But,  unfor- 
tunately, Mexico  is  not  a poor  man^s  country  in  the  same 
sense  as  Canada  and  certain  other  countries.  As  a rule, 
large  capital  is  required  to  develop  Mexican  land  properly, 
and,  moreover,  owing  to  the  miserable  wages  for  which  the 
Indian  peons  are  willing  to  work,  white  manual  laborers 
could  not  make  a decent  living  in  Mexico.  This  consti- 
tutes a serious  problem,  because  without  immigration, 
the  introduction  of  new  blood,  and  a consequent  improve- 
ment of  the  population,  it  will  be  difficult  for  Mexico  to 
make  any  rapid  advance. 

During  the  recent  reigns  of  terror  in  Mexico  various 
proposals  have  been  made  for  suppressing  disorder  and 
establishing  a stable  government.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  the  United  States  should  intervene  with  this  object 
in  view,  while  a few  newspapers  have  even  hinted  that  not 
only  should  there  be  intervention,  but  its  ultimate  aim 
should  be  the  annexation  of  the  northern  Mexican  states. 
Certain  writers  have  argued  that  this  is  the  only  practical 
means  of  putting  an  end  to  the  incessant  disorder  in  that 
part  of  Mexico.  The  suggestion  has  also  been  made  that 
the  European  powers  having  extensive  interests  in  the 
country  should  join  the  United  States  in  intervening,  and 
that  an  allied  army  should  occupy  Mexico  City. 

As  to  the  intervention  of  the  United  States,  so  much 
discussed,  it  is  realized  that  the  destruction  of  foreign 
property  or  the  killing  of  foreigners  by  the  Mexican  revo- 
lutionists would  probably  result  in  an  American  army  being 
sent  across  the  border.  Widely  different  views  have  been 
expressed  concerning  the  probable  results  of  such  a proceed- 
ing. Some  writers,  whose  opinions  are  entitled  to  considera- 
tion, are  convinced  that  Mexico’s  fighting  strength  has  been 
greatly  over-estimated,  and  that  a small  but  efficient  Ameri- 


436 


MEXICO 


can  army  could  take  possession  of  the  country  and  establish 
order.  There  is,  however,  a far  greater  weight  of  opinion 
against  intervention ; and  most  people  who  know  Mexico 
are  fervently  hoping  that  such  a step  will  never  become 
necessary.  Intervention  would  probably  mean  that  the 
Mexicans  would  stop  fighting  among  themselves  and  unite 
to  repel  invasion.  As  the  revolutionists  have  done,  they 
would  ignore  the  rules  of  civilized  warfare ; and,  furthermore, 
owing  to  the  mountainous  character  of  the  country,  and 
the  vast  stretches  of  desert,  it  would  be  extremely  difficult 
to  conduct  a successful  campaign. 

Certain  military  authorities  have  asserted  that  an 
invasion  of  Mexico  would  be  simply  a repetition  of  the  Boer 
war  on  a much  larger  scale.  They  have  estimated  that  an 
army  of  250,000  would  be  required,  and  that  the  casualties 
from  death,  disease  and  desertion  would  be  enormous. 
In  their  opinion,  the  war,  while  it  lasted,  would  cost  the 
United  States  about  a million  dollars  a day,  and  that  a 
future  expenditure  of  eight  hundred  millions  would  be 
required  for  pensions.  To  maintain  order  in  Mexico  they 
believe  that  an  army  of  400,000  would  be  needed,  and  that 
guerilla  warfare  would  continue  for  a generation.  Even 
the  annexation  of  northern  Mexico  and  the  development  of 
its  agriculture  and  minerals  would  hardly  repay  the  costs 
of  conquest. 

The  opponents  of  intervention  have  also  pointed  out  that 
any  invasion  of  Mexico  would  be  deeply  resented  by  the 
South  Americans  who  are  racially  in  sympathy  with  the 
Mexicans.  At  the  present  time,  every  move  of  the  United 
States  in  connection  with  the  Mexican  situation  is  being 
watched  with  the  keenest  interest  by  the  southern  republics. 
Those  who  are  interested  in  the  development  of  American 
commerce  in  South  America,  and  the  incentive  it  should 
receive  from  the  completion  of  the  Panama  Canal,  are 


THE  MEXICAN  SITUATION 


437 


anxious,  therefore,  that  nothing  should  occur  to  excite 
South  American  ill  will. 

It  is  the  belief  of  those  best  qualified  to  express  an 
opinion  that  a grave  mistake  was  made  by  the  United 
States  government  in  failing  to  recognize  the  provisional 
administration  of  President  Huerta.  The  withholding  of 
such  recognition  not  only  prevented  his  government  from 
raising  funds  abroad,  but  impeded  the  work  of  the 
national  army  in  restoring  peace,  and  thus  tended  to 
give  support  to  the  forces  of  savagery  and  lawlessness. 
While  it  is  true  that  objections  were  raised  to  the  tem- 
porary dictatorship  of  General  Huerta,  it  is  also  true 
that  during  the  turbulent  period  following  the  downfall 
of  the  Madero  government  Mexico  needed  a dictator. 
Moreover  it  is  probable  that  had  the  Huerta  administra- 
tion obtained  recognition  from  the  United  States  at  the 
outset  peace  might  have  been  speedily  re-established. 

Every  man  in  Mexico  having  any  property  at  stake 
has  realized  that  whatever  its  shortcomings  might  have 
been,  the  Huerta  government,  at  least,  constituted  the 
only  power  in  Mexico  representing  civilization,  law  and 
order.  This  fact  was  recognized  when  the  substantial 
citizens  of  Mexico,  within  one  month,  raised  over  twenty 
million  dollars  for  the  support  of  the  government,  while 
the  bulk  of  the  Mexican  army,  in  spite  of  hardships  and 
insufficient  pay,  remained  loyal.  There  were  ample 
reasons  for  this  support  of  General  Huerta.  It  was,  in 
fact,  easy  to  foresee  that  a succession  of  revolutionist 
victories  and  the  capture  of  the  capital  would  result  in 
summary  vengeance  being  taken  upon  General  Huerta 
and  his  supporters,  including  a general  massacre  of  the 
Federal  officers,  followed  by  wholesale  looting  in  which 
Zapata  and  other  bandits  would  demand  their  share  ; 
eventually  disputes  would  arise  between  the  revolution- 


438 


MEXICO 


ists  which  would  end  in  their  fighting  among  themselves  ; 
anarchy  would  reign  and  Mexico  City  would  probably  be 
destroyed.  It  was  on  this  account  that  the  European 
representatives  were  unanimous  in  recognizing  the  Huerta 
government.^ 

While  it  is  impossible  to  forecast,  with  any  degree  of 
certainty,  what  is  likely  to  happen  in  Mexico,  there  is 
however,  a strong  reason  for  believing  that  intervention 
by  the  United  States,  although  undesirable,  is  by  no 
means  impossible.  Certain  European  governments  hav- 
ing important  interests  in  Mexico  are  disposed  to  look  to 
the  United  States  for  remedial  measures  of  some  kind, 
especially  in  view  of  the  destruction  of  foreign  property 
by  revolutionists  and  the  heavy  losses  incurred  by  holders 
of  Mexican  bonds.  Having  refused  to  recognized  the 
Huerta  government,  the  United  States,  it  is  contended,  is 
morally  responsible  for  the  disasters  that  have  followed. 

The  unexpected,  of  course,  may  happen  in  Mexico; 
but  as  events  are  now  shaping  themselves  it  would  seem 
that  the  possibility  of  intervention  by  the  United  States 
has  constantly  become  greater.  Intervention,  no  matter 
how  benevolent  its  intention  might  be,  would  however 
inevitably  mean  war  with  Mexico,  with  all  its  serious 
consequences.  And  it  is  on  this  account  that,  excepting 
as  an  extreme  necessity,  intervention  is  strongly  opposed 
by  sober  and  intelligent  American  public  opinion. 

^The  Japanese  government  was  foremost  in  recognizing  General 
Huerta’s  administration.  Japanese  sympathy  was  also  strongly 
emphasized  during  the  visit  of  Sefior  de  la  Barra  to  Tokio  on  a confi- 
dential mission,  although  it  was  officially  announced  that  his  object 
was  simply  to  thank  the  Japanse  government  for  having  participated 
in  the  Mexican  Centennial . Sefior  de  la  Barra  received  an  enthusi- 
astic reception  in  Tokio,  where  he  was  presented  with  a sword  and 
other  gifts,  and  had  distinguished  honors  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
Emperor.  At  a mass  meeting  resolutions  of  sympathy  with  Mexico 
were  adopted,  while  American  discrimination  against  the  Japanese 
was  bitterly  denounced. 


INDEX 


Adobe  houses,  40. 

Advertisements,  Mexico  City,  64. 

Agriculture,  on  haciendas  in  Cuautla, 
322-326,  329-330;  in  the  hot 
lands,  385-386 ; in  northern 
Mexico,  410,  425. 

Aguadores,  34,  99. 

Aguas  Calientes,  407. 

Ajusco,  Mount,  221. 

Alameda,  the,  Mexico  City,  48-49. 

Alban,  Monte,  ruins  on,  300-302. 

Alvarado,  Pedro,  peon  millionaire, 
365-366. 

Ambassadors,  Hall  of.  National 
Palace,  90. 

Amecameca,  town  of,  328,  330-331; 
sacred  mountain  and  Passion 
Play  at,  335-336. 

Americanization  of  Mexico,  176. 

American  quarter,  Mexico  City,  171, 
182. 

Americans,  in  Mexico  City,  59-60; 
invasion  of  Mexico  by  tourists, 
and  their  characteristics,  170- 
173;  good  feeling  between  Eng- 
lish residents  and,  173;  pro- 
moters of  “schemes,’'  173-174; 
Mexican  feeling  against,  174- 
175;  called  “gringos,”  175; 
capital  invested  by,  175,  297; 
at  Cuernavaca,  227 ; at  Puebla, 
244;  at  Oaxaca,  265-266,  298; 
at  Cuautla,  318;  at  Guadalajara, 
343 ; in  northern  Mexico,  408, 
425. 

Amusements,  public,  Mexico  City, 
130-131. 

Animals,  blessing  of  the,  155-156. 

Annexation,  possibility  of,  176. 

Apam,  plains  of,  40,  44. 

Aqueduct,  remains  of,  Mexico  City, 
99. 


Arcade  Hotel,  Puebla,  238. 

Archaeological  researches,  301,  308. 

Armor,  exhibit  of,  Mexico  City,  91. 

Arms  of  Mexico,  210. 

Army,  system  of  education  in,  149; 
training  of  officers,  statistics 
concerning,  etc.,  217-218. 

Art,  specimens  of.  National  Musemn, 
Mexico  City,  93;  in  church 
buildings,  114;  works  of,  in 
churches,  246-247;  Murillo’s 
“Assumption,”  Guadalajara, 
342;  Titian’s  “Entombment  of 
Christ,”  372-375. 

Artists,  prominent,  128. 

Art  students,  public  assistance  of, 
128. 

Atequiza,  village  of,  349. 

Atlacomulco,  hacienda  of,  225. 

Australian  sheep  in  Chihuahua,  410. 

Automobile  roads,  129,  220-221. 

Automobiles,  Mexico  City,  103,  105, 
129. 

Aztecs,  history  of  tribe  of,  71-77 ; 
descendants  of  the,  184-185; 
remains  of,  about  Cuernavaca, 
230-231. 

Baird,  W.  H.,  272-278. 

Ball-playing,  Mexican,  291,  292. 

Banana  raising,  383,  385,  405. 

Baronial  estates,  322-325,  350,  404, 
414. 

Barranca,  the,  at  Cuernavaca,  228; 
at  Guadalajara,  347. 

Bathing,  compulsory,  137. 

Beans,  as  staple  food,  32. 

“Bear,  playing  the,”  161-165,  327; 
Young  America’s  views  on,  363. 

Beggars,  15-16,  40,  109,  227;  in 
Mexico  City,  66;  check  placed 
on,  under  Diaz  regime,  213. 


4.S9 


440 


INDEX 


Blake,  W.  W.,  researches  of,  92. 

Blessing  of  the  animals,  custom  of, 
155-156. 

Borda,  Jose  de  la,  225-226. 

Borda  Garden  and  mansion,  225-227. 

Bosque,  park  in  Mexico  City,  102. 

Boulevard,  Mexico  City,  99-100. 

Breweries,  129,  418. 

Brigandage,  extinction  of,  203-204. 

British  in  Mexico,  177-178,  276-277. 
See  English. 

British  Club,  Mexico  City,  183. 

Buena  Vista,  battle  of,  415. 

Bull-fights,  Mexico  City,  105-106. 

Burden-bearers,  Mexican,  4-5,  45. 

Burial  customs,  154,  360-361. 

Cabs  (caches),  20,  45-46. 

Cacahuamilpa,  caves  of,  231-233. 

Cacti,  Mexican,  256-257;  fibre-pro- 
ducing qualities  of,  330. 

Cafes,  Vera  Cruz,  6;  Mexico  City, 
139. 

Calendar  Stone,  Aztec,  92. 

Calle  Cinco  de  Mayo,  Mexico  City, 
60. 

Calle  San  Francisco,  Mexico  City,  62. 

Campeche,  State  of,  383. 

Canada,  large  interests  of,  in  Mexico, 
178. 

Canons.  See  Barranca. 

Capital,  foreign,  in  Mexico,  175, 
206-207;  opportunity  for  men 
with  small,  180-181. 

Carden,  Sir  Lionel,  127. 

Cargadores,  4-5,  45. 

Carranza,  General,  208. 

Catacomb,  at  Guanajuato,  360-362. 

Cathedral,  Vera  Cruz,  2,6;  Orizaba, 
25;  Mexico  City,  87;  of  San 
Francisco,  at  Cuernavaca,  224; 
Puebla,  240-241 ; Oaxaca,  264, 
270;  Guadalajara,  342. 

Catholicism,  tenacity  of,  151-152. 

Catorce,  town  of,  414-415. 

Cattle,  native  and  foreign,  423. 

Caves  of  Cacahuamilpa,  231-233. 

Ceremonial,  tendency  to,  132. 

Chapala,  town  of,  350-352. 

Chapala,  Lake,  350,  351-354. 


Chapalteco  Indians,  354. 

Chapultepec,  military  college  at,  217. 

Chapultepec,  Castle  of,  Mexico  City, 

101. 

Chapultepec  Caf4,  103. 

Charcoal,  use  of,  Mexico  City,  59. 

Charles  IV,  statue  of,  Mexico  City, 

100. 

Charnay,  French  archaeologist,  109- 

110. 

Cherubusco,  Country  Club  at,  183. 

Chihuahua,  State  of,  208, 404, 409, 410, 

Children,  education  and  training  of, 
126. 

Chimneys,  absence  of,  Mexico  City, 
58,  59. 

Chinese,  resemblance  of  Mexican 
Indians  to,  185-186. 

Chinese  club,  Mexico  City,  183. 

Cholula,  town  of,  244-247. 

Christian  Science  in  Mexico,  153. 

Christmas  festivities,  242-244;  at 
Los  Reyes,  290-294. 

Church,  governmental  interference 
with  the,  151. 

Church,  the  oldest,  in  America,  248. 

Church  of  — 

Jesus  Maria,  Mexico  City,  113. 

Jesus  Nazareno,  Mexico  City,  111. 

La  Compania,  Puebla,  241. 

La  Piedad,  Mexico  City,  116. 

Nuestra  Senora  de  los  Angeles, 
Mexico  City,  112. 

Nuestra  Senora  de  los  Remedios, 
Cholula,  246-247. 

Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,  Guada- 
lupe Hidalgo,  117-122. 

Our  Lady  of  Succor,  Los  Reme- 
dios, 116. 

San  Cristobal,  Puebla,  241. 

San  Diego,  Mexico  City,  49. 

San  Francisco,  Jalapa,  397. 

San  Francisco,  Puebla,  241. 

San  Francisco,  Tlaxcala,  248. 

San  Francisco,  Vera  Cruz,  6. 

San  Hipolito,  Mexico  City,  113. 

Santa  Cruz,  Queretaro,  375. 

Santa  Domingo,  Oaxaca,  270. 

Santa  Rosa,  Queretaro,  375. 

Santa  Teresa,  Orizaba,  25. 


INDEX 


441 


Churches,  at  Orizaba,  25;  Mexico 
City,  111-115;  Cuautla,  319; 
Queretaro,  375. 

Church-bell  nuisance,  24,  152,  241. 

Church  pictures,  246-247,  342,  372. 

Church  property,  state  appropriation 
of,  151,  319. 

Cinematograph  shows,  130,  241. 

City  of  Churches,  236. 

City  of  temples,  a,  245. 

Climate,  17-18,  53;  in  Mexico  City, 
50;  of  Guadalajara,  341-342. 

Clothes,  20-22,  27-28;  of  priests, 
25,  151;  cost  of  peons’,  33;  ex- 
pense of,  65;  ladies’,  168. 

Clubs,  foreign  residents’,  183. 

Coahuila,  State  of,  404,  415  ff.,  425; 
a ranch  in,  418-425. 

Coal,  small  quantity  of,  produced, 
369. 

Coch-fighting,  191-192. 

Coffee,  Mexican,  142. 

Coffee  raising,  383,  405. 

Colima,  State  of,  348. 

Colima  volcano,  348. 

Columbus  statue,  Mexico  City,  100. 

Congress,  the  Federal,  210. 

Contras,  Jose  Peon  y,  poet,  128. 

Convent  of  San  Francisco,  at 
Tzintzimtzan,  372. 

Convolvulus,  223. 

Copper  mines,  369. 

Cordier,  Columbus  statue  by,  100. 

Cordoba,  town  of,  14-16. 

Corn,  production  of,  237;  in  hot 
lands,  385. 

Corral,  Vice-President,  208. 

Cortes,  3,  19,  54,  87;  conquest  of 
Mexico  by,  74-79;  absence  of 
monmnents  to,  100;  death  and 
burial-place  of,  111-112;  traces 
of,  at  Cuernavaca,  224^225 ; title 
of  Marquis  of  the  Valley  of 
Oaxaca,  271. 

Cosio,  General,  208. 

Cost  of  living,  Mexico  City,  136. 

Cotton  growing,  northern  Mexico, 
410. 

Country  Club,  Mexico  City,  183. 

Courtship,  method  of,  161. 


Courts  of  law,  211  ff. 

Creel,  Ambassador,  180,  208. 

Creelman,  James,  quoted,  202,  208- 
209. 

Criadors,  263. 

Cuauhnahuac,  221. 

Cuauhtemoc,  Aztec  prince,  statue  of, 

100. 

Cuautla,  mineral  springs  and  hacien- 
das at,  314-327. 

Cuernavaca,  219-230. 

Curanderas,  wise  women,  311. 

Currency,  Mexican,  7. 

Customs  officials,  Mexican  and 
American,  426,  427. 

Dances,  peons’,  at  Christmas  festivi- 
ties, 293;  of  Zapotec  Indians, 
312-313. 

Death-rate,  Mexico  City,  55. 

Degollado  theatre,  Guadalajara,  343- 
344. 

Dentists,  American,  in  Mexico,  23. 

Devil  Dance  of  Zapotec  Indians, 
312-313. 

Diaz,  Porfirio,  defeats  forces  of 
Maximilian,  84;  becomes  Presi- 
dent of  Mexico  (1876),  85; 

receptions  held  by,  90 ; residence 
of,  91 ; disappro^’^al  of  bull-fight- 
ing by,  106;  the  President  and 
his  wife  as  social  leaders,  126 ; at 
the  Circo  Teatro,  131;  weekly 
baths  enforced  by,  137;  treat- 
ment of  newspaper  editors,  143- 
144;  educational  system  in- 
augurated by,  148-150;  keen- 
ness on  religious  toleration,  153; 
administration  (1876-1911),  194; 
progress  of  country  under,  196; 
government  attacked  in  Ameri- 
can magazines,  197;  re-election 
opposed  by  Madero,  198;  defects 
of  long  dictatorship,  199;  army 
defeated  by  revolutionists,  200; 
retirement  from  Mexico,  201. 

Diaz,  Felix,  heads  revolt  against 
Madero,  202;  his  followers  sup- 
port Huerta,  205. 

“ Dick,  the  Chinaman,”  260. 


442 


INDEX 


Diplomatic  corps,  Mexico  City,  127. 

Divorces,  absence  of,  158. 

Drainage  system,  Mexico  City,  54. 

Drawnwork  of  Aguas  Calientes,  407. 

Dress,  change  in  women’s,  to  French 
styles,  168.  See  Clothes. 

Drinking,  by  Indians,  40-43,  193- 
195. 

Drinking-places,  6-7,  28. 

Drinks  in  restaurants,  141. 

Duck-shooting,  Chapala,  353. 

Duels,  164. 

Durango,  State  and  city  of,  404,  408- 
409. 

Eating-places,  Mexico  City,  63,  138- 
143. 

Education,  progress  in,  148-150; 
lack  of,  in  women,  167;  of  In- 
dians, 192;  President  Diaz  on, 
209. 

Educational  institutions,  Mexico 
City,  149. 

Enchiladas,  140. 

English  customs,  Mexico  City,  125. 

English  in  Mexico,  173;  called 
“Americans,”  176;  loss  of  first 
place  in  trade  in  Mexico  by,  177- 
178;  as  mining  men,  276-277. 

“Entombment  of  Christ,”  Titian’s, 
372-375. 

Escandon,  Senor  Landa  y,  126-127, 
208. 

Escandon  mansion,  Mexico  City,  61. 

Esperanza,  town  of,  38. 

Estates,  baronial  (haciendas),  322- 
325. 

Executions,  method  pursued  in, 
216-217. 

Exports  of  Mexico,  179. 

Fair  God  legend,  69,  93. 

Family  life,  158. 

Farming  estates,  322-326,  350,  404, 
414. 

Farming  in  the  hot  lands,  382  ff. 

Federal  District,  Mexico  City,  gov- 
ernment of,  96-97. 

Felipe,  patron  saint  of  Mexico  City, 
98-99. 


Festival  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe, 
117,  120. 

Festivals,  Christmas,  243-244. 

Fibre  plants,  cultivation  of,  326,  329— 
330. 

Fiestas,  189. 

Fifth  of  May  Street,  Mexico  City,  60. 

Figueroa,  General,  200. 

Fishing,  in  Lake  Chapala,  353;  at 
Tampico,  399-403. 

Flirtations,  161-162. 

Flores,  Manuel,  poet,  128. 

Flower  Market,  Mexico  City,  95. 

Food,  cost  of,  136;  in  restaurants, 
Mexico  City,  138-141. 

Foreigners  in  Mexico,  170  ff . ; capital 
invested  by,  175;  Americans, 
Spanish,  French,  Germans,  Eng- 
lish, and  Canadians,  177-178; 
influence  exercised  by  children 
of,  179-180;  colonies  and  clubs 
of,  Mexico  City,  182-183;  min- 
ing properties  of,  272. 

Foreign  quarters,  Mexico  City,  181- 
182. 

Fortune-telling,  229. 

French,  occupation  of  Mexico  by, 
83-84;  clubs  of,  Mexico  City, 
183. 

French  business  men  in  Mexico,  177. 

Frias  family,  414. 

Frijoles,  140. 

Fruits,  141,  267,  383,  385,  405,  425. 

Funeral  customs,  154. 

Funerals,  street-cars  used  for,  97-98; 
prevalence  of  Catholic  rites  in, 
154. 

Fuster,  Alberto,  artist,  128. 

Gambling,  61,  65-66,  297-298;  by 
Indians,  191-192. 

Game,  land  of  the  big,  381-382. 

Games,  Christmas,  242-244,  292- 
293 ; gambling,  297-298  {see 
Gambling). 

Germans  in  Mexico,  177;  affiliation 
of,  with  Mexicans,  180;  club  and 
club  building  of,  Mexico  City, 
183. 

Gillow,  Archbishop,  270. 


INDEX 


443 


Goat  raising,  423. 

Gold,  undiscovered  mines  of,  368; 
annual  output  of,  369. 

Gold  mining,  272-282;  in  State  of 
Jalisco,  348—349. 

Government,  autocracy  of,  205- 
206;  machinery  of,  210  ff. 

Government  Palace,  Cuernavaca, 
224. 

Granadita,  the,  32. 

Graphite  from  Mexico,  369. 

Grazing  land,  American  vs.  Mexican, 
422. 

“Greasers,”  174. 

“Gringos,”  175. 

Grocery  stores,  Spanish  ownership 
of,  298-299. 

Guadalajara,  339-349. 

Guadalajara  ware,  346-347. 

Guadalupe,  festival  of  Our  Lady  of, 
117,  120. 

Guanajuato,  the  “silver  city,”  355- 
367. 

Guernsey,  Frederick,  145. 

Guerrero,  President,  187. 

Guerrero,  ruins  in,  233. 

Haciendas,  322-326 ; near  Guadala- 
jara, 350;  in  San  Luis  Potosi, 
406-407. 

Hacienda  system,  an  obstacle  to 
progress,  325. 

Hall  of  Monoliths,  Mitla,  306-310. 

Health  resorts,  249-257,  314-322, 
407,  415. 

Hearse-cars,  97-98,  154. 

Heating  of  houses,  182. 

Hemp  trade,  329-330. 

Henequen,  growth  of,  329-330. 

Hermosillo,  capital  of  Sonora,  413. 

Hidalgo,  Miguel,  insurrection  of,  79- 
80,  90,  359. 

Highwaymen,  treatment  of,  216-217. 

Hill  of  the  Frogs,  Guanajuato  called, 
357. 

Horse  races,  Mexico  City,  130. 

Horse  raising,  423. 

Hospicio,  Guadalajara,  345-346. 

Hotel  de  France,  23. 

Hotel  Diligencia,  Vera  Cruz,  395. 


Hotel  Morelos,  Cuautla,  317-318. 

Hotels,  Mexican,  23-24,  46-48;  at 
Orizaba,  23 ; at  Cuernavaca,  223 ; 
at  Puebla,  238;  at  Tehuacan, 
251-253 ; at  Oaxaca,  262-263 ; at 
Cuautla,  317-318;  at  Chapala, 
351 ; at  Vera  Cruz,  395 ; at  Tam- 
pico, 400. 

Hot  lands,  233,  259-260,  380,  382- 
393;  products  and  great  future 
of,  383. 

Hot  springs,  407. 

Housekeeping,  absence  of  good,  166, 

House  of  Tiles,  Mexico  City,  61. 

Houses,  Mexico  City,  124;  rental 
of,  136;  heating  of,  183. 

Huerta,  General,  leads  Madero’s 
forces,  202,  203;  ends  anti-Ma- 
dero  revolt,  203;  provisional 
President,  205. 

Idols,  Aztec,  92-93. 

Indian  corn,  237;  growth  of,  in  hot 
lands,  385. 

India  rubber,  extraction  of  and  pros- 
pects for,  384-385. 

India  rubber  plantations,  382,  384. 

Indians,  Mexican,  20-21,  22,  184- 
429;  politeness  of,  133-134; 
Yaqui,  185 ; resemblance  of,  to 
Chinese  and  Japanese,  185-186; 
Mayan,  186 ; numbers  of,  187 ; 
women  of,  192-193 ; drink  the 
curse  of,  193-195;  bathing  and 
non-bathing  habits  of,  195;  sto- 
ries of  stupidity  of,  195-197 ; in 
the  army,  218;  as  pottery-mak- 
ers, 228-229;  of  San  Antone, 
229;  Yaqui,  411-414.  See  Ma- 
yans, Yaquis,  Zapotecs,  etc. 

Infant  mortality,  193. 

Influenza  in  Mexico,  314. 

Intervention,  United  States,  435. 

Investment,  field  for,  in  Mexico,  179. 

Investments,  opportunity  for  small, 
180-181 ; grand  total  of  foreign, 
206-207. 

Iripuato,  town  of,  355. 

Iron  deposits,  369. 

Irrigation  of  land,  410. 


444 


INDEX 


Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  378-393. 

Iturbide,  Augustin,  career  of,  80-81 ; 
burial-place,  88. 

Ixtaccihuatl,  Mount,  102,  224; 

shortening  of  name,  by  Ameri- 
cans, 177;  legend  of,  332. 

Ixtle,  fibre-producing  qualities  of, 
330. 

Ixtlilxochitli,  Indian  poet,  127. 

Izaguirre,  Leandro,  artist,  128. 

Jaguar,  country  of  the,  381-382. 

Jalapa,  city  of,  395-397. 

Jalisco,  State  of,  348. 

Japanese,  resemblance  of  Mexican 
Indians  to,  185—186;  sympathy 
for  Mexico,  438. 

Jiminez,  Francisco,  statue  by,  100. 

Jockey  Club,  Mexico  City,  61. 

Juarez,  Benito,  82-85,  94,  187. 

Kansas  City,  Mexican  and  Orient 
Railway,  409. 

La  Cima,  220. 

Lakes,  about  Mexico  City,  53;  Cha- 
pala and  Patzcuaro,  350,  351- 
354,  370-371. 

Language,  the  Spanish,  as  spoken  in 
Mexico,  128-129. 

La  Trinidad  mine,  367. 

Law  courts,  211  ff. 

Lead  deposits,  369. 

Legends  of  miracles,  115-119. 

Lerma  River,  352. 

Letter-writers,  public,  34. 

Libel  laws,  144. 

Liberty  Bell  of  Mexico,  90. 

Libraries,  public,  6,  149. 

Lind,  John,  206. 

Literature,  leaders  in,  127—128. 

Lopez,  Gregorio,  88. 

Los  Reyes,  gold-mine  at,  287,  294; 
Christmas  celebration  at,  290- 
294. 

Lotteries,  65. 

Love-making,  method  of,  161-165. 

Luna  Park,  Mexico  City,  102. 

Lunchrooms,  railway,  38,  260,  316- 
317. 


Madero,  Francisco,  late  President, 
198-205. 

Maguey  plant,  the,  40-41 ; other 
uses  for,  than  drink,  330. 

Maguey  plantations,  329. 

Mahogany,  383. 

Maltrata,  village  of,  37. 

Mango,  the  Mexican,  32. 

Mantilla,  the,  89. 

Manzanillo,  railway  to,  348. 

Market,  at  Oaxaca,  267-270. 

Markets,  public,  31. 

Mark  Twain,  quotation  from,  230. 

Marriage,  charges  by  priests,  152; 
ideas  about,  161;  Indians’ 
disregard  of,  193. 

Martinez,  Ramos,  artist,  128. 

“Mashers,”  Mexico  City,  104,  160; 
and  the  Western  widows,  338. 

Maximilian,  Archduke,  Emperor  of 
Mexico,  83-84 ; relics  of,  in 
National  Museum,  93 ; municipal 
improvements  in  Mexico  City 
imder,  100-101 ; surrender  and 
execution  of,  at  Queretaro,  376- 
377. 

Mayan  Indians,  186,  391. 

Meat,  Mexican,  33. 

Merida,  city  of,  389. 

Mexican  Central  Railway,  scenic 
attractions  of,  219-220;  be- 
tween Mexico  City  and  Guadala- 
jara, 340;  from  Guadalajara 
westward  to  Manzanillo,  347- 
348. 

Mexican  Herald,  the,  145. 

Mexican  Railway,  13-14. 

Mexican  Southern  Railway,  261-262. 

Mexican  War,  the,  81. 

Mexico,  past  history  of,  67  ff. ; deri- 
vation of  the  name,  72. 

Mexico,  Valley  of,  220. 

Mexico  City,  44-66,  86  ff. ; govern- 
ment of,  96-97;  consideration 
of  the  name,  177;  visit  of 
Shriners  to,  336-337. 

Meztizos,  187,  431. 

Military  college,  Mexico  City,  102. 

Militia,  national,  217-218. 

Mineral  productions,  179. 


INDEX 


445 


Mineral  springs,  249-257,  320-322. 

See  Health  resorts. 

Mines,  inaccessibility  of,  272. 

Mining,  in  Guerrero,  233-234 ; 

around  Oaxaca,  272-282,  296- 
297 ; in  Jalisco,  348-349. 

Mining  expert,  a so-called,  263. 
Mining  laws,  280-281. 

Mining  possibilities,  369. 

Miracles,  115-119. 

Mitla,  ruins  of,  302-310. 

Model  city,  near  Cuernavaca,  222. 
Money,  Mexican,  7. 

Monterey,  city  of,  417-418;  battle 
of,  418. 

Monterey  News,  the,  418. 

Monteziuna  I,  King,  72. 

Moon  Pyramid,  107-108. 

Morals,  laxity  in,  161. 

Morelos,  Jose  Maria,  insurrection  of, 
80,  319. 

Morelos,  Hotel,  317. 

Morelos,  State  of,  224. 

Motoring,  interest  in,  129.  See 
Automobiles. 

Motor  roads,  129,  220-221. 
Mummies,  in  catacomb  at  Guana- 
juato, 361-362. 

Murillo,  the  “Assumption”  by,  342. 
Music,  Mexican  fondness  for  and  in- 
dulgence in,  131-132. 

National  Library,  Mexico  City,  149. 
National  Museum,  Mexico  City,  91. 
National  Palace,  Mexico  City,  89-91. 
National  Pawn-shop,  94. 

Natividad  mine,  272. 

Negroes  in  Mexico,  9. 

Newspaper  readers,  public,  28-29. 
Newspapers,  143-146. 

New  Year’s  at  Oaxaca,  299. 
Nicknames  by  Americans,  177. 
Nitzahualcoyotl,  Indian  poet,  127. 
Niven,  William,  archaeologist,  233. 
Novelists,  128. 

Nueva  Laredo,  station  of,  426. 

Oaxaca,  President  Diaz’  birth  and 
early  years  at,  198-199,  271; 
prison  in,  217 ; pronunciation 


and  location,  250;  railway  to, 
261-262;  visit  at,  262-271;  min- 
ing about,  272-282,  296-297; 
prehistoric  remains  about,  300- 
310. 

Oaxaca,  State  of,  283-284. 

Oil,  production  of,  369;  for  fuel  on 
railways,  379. 

Onyx  quarries,  Puebla,  240. 

Opera-house,  Mexico  City,  57. 

Organs  in  churches,  115. 

Orizaba,  Mount,  2,  26,  37,  38. 

Orizaba,  town  of,  12,  19-35. 

O’Shaughnessy,  Mr.,  127. 

Our  Lady  of  the  Angels,  church  and 
shrine  of,  Mexico  City,  112-113. 

Pachuca,  silver  mining  at,  367. 

Paganism,  survivals  of,  150. 

Palacio,  Vincent  Riva,  novelist,  128. 

Palenque,  ruins  at,  390. 

Pan-American  Railway,  389-390. 

Pankhurst,  Senor,  180. 

Paper  pulp  from  cacti,  330. 

Para  grass,  405. 

Parks,  49. 

Paseo  de  la  Reforma,  Mexico  City, 
99-100. 

Passion  Play  at  Amecameca,  335-336. 

Patio  process  of  silver  extraction,  366. 

Patzcuaro,  Lake,  350,  370-371. 

Patzcuaro,  town  of,  370-371. 

Pawn-shop,  National,  94. 

Paz,  Irenio,  novelist,  128. 

Pearson  and  Sons,  works  of,  at  Rin- 
con Antonio,  386. 

Pears’  Soap  anecdote,  196-197. 

Peons,  184,  350;  dress  of,  20-21, 
33;  wretched  living  conditions 
of,  Mexico  City,  136-137;  good 
qualities  and  faults,  187-188 ; on 
large  haciendas,  324-326;  424; 
peonage,  197.  See  Indians. 

Periodicals,  145. 

Pesa,  Juan  de  Dios,  poet,  128. 

Petroleum,  supply  of,  369. 

Physicians,  American,  in  Mexico,  23. 

Picture-cards,  game  of,  297-298. 

Pictures  in  churches,  246-247,  342, 
372. 


446 


INDEX 


Picture-writings,  70. 

Pilgrimages,  remarks  on,  236. 

Pinates,  242-243. 

“Playing  the  bear,”  161-165,  327, 
363. 

Plazas  in  cities,  25-26. 

Pneumonia,  in  Mexico  City,  55. 

Poets  and  poetry,  127-128. 

Poindexter,  Colonel,  400. 

Police,  in  Vera  Cruz,  10;  at  Orizaba, 
34 ; Mexico  City,  50-52 ; Republi- 
can Guard,  Mexico  City,  100- 
101;  enforced  baths  by,  137; 
work  of,  under  Diaz  regime,  213- 
214;  abuses  by,  214-216. 

Politeness,  Spanish  style  of,  in  Mexico 
City,  132;  of  Indians,  133-134, 
192. 

Polygamy,  193. 

Popocatepetl,  Mount,  102,  220,  224; 
shortening  of  name,  by  Ameri- 
cans, 177;  ascent  and  descrip- 
tion of,  328,  331-335;  legend 
of,  332 ; sulphur  mining  on,  334. 

Popo  Park,  331. 

Posadas,  243-244. 

Post-office,  Mexico  City,  57. 

Pottery,  33-34;  from  Guadalajara, 
346-347 ; Aguas  Calientes  ware, 
407. 

Pottery  industry,  San  Antone,  228- 
229. 

Prehistoric  relics,  390. 

Prescott,  W.  H.,  quoted,  245,  308. 

Press,  Mexican,  143-146. 

Priests,  Mexican,  25;  influence  of, 
150-151. 

Prisons,  compulsory  education  in, 
149;  conditions  in,  217. 

Procrastination,  prevailing  habit  of, 
132-133. 

Products  of  Mexico,  179. 

Protestantism,  slight  hold  of,  153. 

Puebla,  city  of,  235-247. 

Puebla,  State  of,  239. 

Puerto  Mexico,  port  of,  379,  388. 

Pullman  cars,  13. 

Pulque,  national  drink,  40-43,  141 ; 
consumption  of,  by  Indians, 
193-195. 


Pulquerias,  194. 

Pyramid  at  Cholula,  245-246. 

Pyramids  of  the  Sun  and  Moon,  107- 
108. 

Queretaro,  surrender  and  execution 
of  Emperor  Maximilian  at,  84- 
85,  376-377;  visit  to,  375-377. 

Quero,  Don  Felix,  304. 

Queroga,  Bishop,  373. 

Quetzalcoatl,  legend  of,  69 ; idol 
called,  93;  emblem  of,  231; 
temple  of,  Cholula,  245-246. 

Railway,  Mexican,  13-14;  Mexican 
Central,  219-220,  340,  347-348; 
Tehuantepec  National,  378  £f., 
388-389;  a Pan-American,  389- 
390 ; Kansas  City,  Mexican  and 
Orient,  409. 

Railway  possibilities,  389. 

Railway  restaurants,  38,  260,  315- 
317. 

Railways,  government  policy  con- 
cerning, 146-147,  204;  changes 
effected  by,  148. 

Railway  stations,  45,  147. 

Railway  trains,  12-13,  35. 

Railway  travel,  cost  of,  35. 

Ranches,  in  State  of  Coahuila,  418- 
425.  See  Haciendas. 

Ranch  life,  418-425. 

Real  estate  investments,  182. 

Rebeccas,  Indian,  274. 

Refresco,  Mexican  drink,  6. 

Religion,  state  of,  151-154;  of  the 
peons,  189-190. 

Religious  practices,  150,  155-156. 

Religious  toleration,  152-153. 

Rent,  cost  of,  Mexico  City,  136. 

Republican  Guard,  Mexico  City, 
100-101. 

Restaurants,  railway,  38,  260,  315- 
317;  in  Mexico  City,  63,  138- 
143. 

Revolutionists,  208. 

Rincon  Antonio,  railway  shops  at, 
386. 

Rubber.  See  India  rubber. 

Rurales,  mounted  police,  213. 


INDEX 


447 


Salina  Cruz,  port  of,  379,  387-388. 

Saltillo,  town  of,  415. 

Salvation  Army,  barred  from  Mex- 
ico, 153. 

San  Antone,  228-229. 

San  Francisco  Street,  Mexico  City, 
62. 

San  Juan  Teotihuacan,  town  of,  107- 
108. 

San  Juan  de  Ulloa,  island  of,  3. 

San  Luis  Potosi,  city  of,  406. 

San  Miguel  Peras,  village  of,  287, 
289-290. 

San  Pedro,  village  of,  346. 

Santa  Ana,  General,  81. 

Santa  Lucrezia,  village  of,  383. 

Sapodilla,  the,  32. 

Sarape,  the,  21 ; an  Indian  word, 
129;  “made  in  Germany,”  407- 
408. 

“Schemes,”  men  with,  173-174,  263, 
264,  295,  363;  a victim  of,  416- 
417. 

Sculptors  at  San  Pedro,  346-347. 

Sculpture,  Mexico  City,  100. 

Seasons,  dry  and  rainy,  53. 

Servants,  48 ; force  of  custom  among, 
134;  wages  of,  166;  numbers  of 
household,  and  customs,  166- 
167. 

Sheep  farming  in  Chihuahua,  410. 

Shooting,  at  Chapala,  353;  jaguar, 
puma,  tapir,  deer,  etc.,  382. 

Shops,  at  Orizaba,  22-23;  at  Mexico 
City,  62. 

Shriners  in  Mexico,  336-337;  at 
Guadalajara,  344-345. 

Sierra,  Justo,  poet,  128. 

Signs,  American,  in  Mexico  City,  59. 

Silver,  the  mining  of,  364-367,  408; 
processes  of  extraction  of,  366; 
annual  output  of,  369. 

Silver  king,  tarpon  called,  400. 

Silver  kings,  225-226,  364-366. 

Slavery,  184-185,  188-191,  424. 

Slum  districts,  Mexico  City,  136-137. 

Smith,  F.  Hopkinson,  quoted,  190, 
373-375. 

Smoking  by  women,  165. 

Soap-manufacture,  239. 


Social  leaders,  Mexico  City,  126-127. 
Social  life,  Mexico  City,  124. 

Soldiers,  Mexico  City,  57;  on  guard 
at  National  Palace,  90;  compul- 
sory education  for,  149 ; training 
of,  statistics  of  army,  uniform, 
etc.,  217-218. 

Sombrero,  Danza  de,  293. 

Sombreros,  21. 

Sonora,  Yaqui  Indian  war  in,  411- 
414. 

Sorrowful  Night,  the,  107,  113. 
Southern  Hotel,  Tampico,  400. 
Spaniards  in  Mexico,  177;  clubs  of, 
Mexico  City,  183. 

Stage-coaches,  350-351,  370. 

Statues,  Mexico  City,  100. 

Steamship  lines,  395. 

Stephens,  J.  L.,  cited,  390. 

Stillwell,  Arthur  E.,  409-410. 

Stone  of  Sacrifice,  87,  91. 
Storekeeping  methods,  298-299. 
Strawberries  at  Iripuato,  355. 
Street-car  fares,  97. 

Street-cars,  Vera  Cruz,  6;  Orizaba, 
27 ; Mexico  City,  46,  57,  97 ; 
Cuernavaca,  222;  Puebla,  238; 
Guadalajara,  344,  346;  Guana- 
juato, 356. 

Street  of  the  Dead,  Teotihuacan, 

110. 

Streets,  Mexico  City,  58;  names  of, 
64. 

Suburban  life,  growth  of,  107. 
Suffrage,  severely  limited,210,  431. 
Sugar-cane  regions,  322-326,  385. 
Sulphur  mining  on  Mt.  Popocatepetl, 
334. 

Sun  Pyramid,  107-108. 

Sun-worship,  72. 

Swamps  of  hot  lands,  383. 

Tabasco,  State  of,  383. 

Tacubaya,  town  of,  107. 

Taft,  President,  200,  205. 

Tamales,  139. 

Tampico,  3,  394,  398-403. 

Tarpon  fishing,  394,  399-403. 
Tehuacan,  Mexican  Carlsbad  249- 
257. 


448 


INDEX 


Tehuantepec,  Isthmus  of,  378-393; 
city  of,  390-393. 

Tehuantepec  National  Railway, 
378  388-389. 

Telsa,  Manuel,  statue  by,  100. 

Temples,  at  Cholula,  245. 

Tequila,  fiery  Mexican  spirit,  made 
from  maguey,  43. 

Tezozomoc,  Indian  poet,  127. 

Theatre,  at  Guanajuato,  358. 

Theatres,  Mexico  City,  50, 131 ; Gua- 
dalajara, 343-344. 

Thieves’  Market,  95. 

Titian,  painting  by,  at  Tzintzuntzan, 
372-375. 

TIacolula,  town  of,  303-304. 

Tlapanecos,  gold  in  land  of,  368. 

Tlaxcala,  town  and  State  of,  247—248. 

Tobacco  raising,  382. 

Tokio,  mass  meeting  expresses  sym- 
pathy with  Mexico,  438. 

Toledo,  Juan  Telles,  portrait  painter, 
128. 

Toltecs,  race  of,  68—69 ; momentos 
of  the,  107—109. 

Toluca,  town  of,  129. 

Topo  Chico  springs,  418. 

Topolobampo,  harbor  of,  409. 

Toro,  station  of,  220. 

Torreon,  town  of,  425. 

Tortilla,  native  bread,  32. 

Tourists,  171-173;  at  Cuernavaca, 
227-228 ; visit  of  the  Mystic 
Shriners,  336—337,  344-345 ; visit 
of  Western  widows,  337—338. 

Tree  of  “la  Noche  Triste,”  107 ; big 
tree  of  Tula,  303. 

Tres  Marias,  station  of,  220,  221. 

Tropical  Mexico,  378-393.  See  Hot 
lands. 

Tropic  of  Cancer,  415. 

Tula,  village  of,  302-303. 

Tumbago,  61;  in  cathedral,  Mexico 
City,  88. 

Turkey  vendors,  345. 

Typhoid,  prevalence  of,  at  Mexico 
City,  55. 

Tzintzuntzan,  village  of,  371-372; 
the  Titian  at,  372-375. 


Uniforms,  military,  90,  218. 

United  States.  See  Americans. 

Valenciana,  Conde  de,  silver  king, 
365. 

Vera  Cruz,  harbor  of,  2 ; importance 
commercially,  3;  early  history 
of,  3-4;  description  of,  5-12, 
394-395. 

Vera  Cruz,  State  of,  383. 

Villa,  Pancho,  200,  208. 

Volcano,  Colima,  348. 

Wages,  of  servants,  166;  of  peons, 
188;  of  native  miners,  369;  of 
cowboys,  420. 

Warner,  Charles  Dudley,  quoted, 
375-376. 

Water-carriers,  34,  99. 

Watering-places,  249-257,  314-322, 
407,  415. 

Water  supply,  Mexico  City,  99. 

Wheat,  raising  of,  237;  in  Chihua- 
hua, 410. 

Wilson,  President,  205 ; refuses  Huerta 
recognition,  206. 

Witches,  Indian,  229. 

Women,  in  business,  56,  167-168; 
jealous  protection  of,  123,  157- 
159;  lack  of  housekeeping 
knowledge,  125,  166;  concern  of, 
in  church  matters,  151,  165 ; ap- 
pearance of,  159,  courtship  of, 
161-162;  smoking  by,  165-166; 
lack  of  education  in,  167;  dress 
of,  168-169;  Indian,  192-193; 
the  Zapotec,  at  Tehuantepec, 
391-393. 

Women’s  rights,  tabooed,  159. 

Woods,  valuable,  383, 

Xochicalco,  ruins  of,  231. 

Yaqui  Indians,  185;  warfare  con- 
ducted by,  in  Sonora,  411-414. 

Yellow  fever,  extinction  of,  11,  388. 

Y.M.C.A.  in  Mexico,  153. 

Young  men,  lack  of  responsibility  of, 
178-179. 

Yoimg  Mexican  party,  196,  205. 


INDEX 


449 


Yucatan,  Mayan  Indians  in,  186, 
391 ; cultivation  of  henequen  in, 
329 ; railway  possibilities  in,  389. 

Zacatecas,  silver  mining  at,  408. 
Zambrano,  silver  king,  364-365. 
Zapata,  Emiliano,  200,  208. 

Zapotec  Indians,  271,  309,  311-313, 
391-393. 


Zaragoza,  General,  83,  239. 

Zavaleta,  scenic  and  climatic  attrac- 
tions of,  284-285. 

Zavaleta  gold  mine,  272-282. 

Zayas  Enriques,  Senor  de,  champion 
of  Yaquis,  411. 

Zocalo,  park  in  Mexico  City,  97. 
Zopilotes,  in  Vera  Cruz,  11. 

Zyaboa,  Mitla  called,  309. 


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The  Hon.  DEAN  C.  WORCESTER’S  New  Book 


THE  PHILIPPINES 

By  dean  C.  WORCESTER 

Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Philippine  Insular  Government,  1901-1913 
Author  of  “ The  Philippine  Islands  and  Their  People,”  etc. 

2 volumes^  Decorated  clothe  Illustrated,  8vo,  $6.00  net 

There  is  no  greater  authority  on  these  insular  possessions  than  Mr,  Worcester, 
who,  as  early  as  1887,  and  again  in  1890,  was  a prominent  member  of  scientific 
expeditions  to  the  Islands ; from  1899  to  1901  was  a member  of  the  U.  S.  Philip- 
pine Commission ; since  1901  has  been  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  the  Insular 
Government,  and  who  in  1899  published  “ The  Philippine  Islands  and  Their 
People,”  a record  of  personal  observation  and  experience,  with  a short  summary 
of  the  more  important  facts  in  the  history  of  the  archipelago,  which  has  ever 
since  been  the  acknowledged  standard  work  of  information  concerning  the 
Islands. 

In  Mr.  Worcester’s  valuable  new  work,  past  and  present  conditions  are  mi- 
nutely reviewed  with  regard  for  strict  accuracy  of  statement.  The  author’s 
position  giving  him  free  access  to  all  the  government  records,  much  of  the  in- 
formation thus  made  available  has  never  been  before  made  public.  With  prac- 
tically unlimited  material  on  which  to  draw  in  the  way  of  illustrations,  very  fine 
and  rare  photographs  intimately  related  with  the  text  emphasize  the  lessons 
which  they  are  respectively  intended  to  teach. 

The  result  is  a work  of  the  greatest  importance  as  well  as  of  the  greatest  in- 
terest to  all  concerned  as  to  the  future  possibilities  of  the  Philippines  and  as  to 
the  course  the  United  States  Government  should  pursue  in  the  interest  of  the 
several  peoples  of  the  Islands. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  I.  — View  Point  and  Subject  Matter.  Chapter  II.  — Was  Independ- 
ence Promised  ? Chapter  III. — Insurgent  “ Cooperation."  Chapter  IV. — 
The  Premeditated  Insurgent  Attack,  Chapter  V. — Insurgent  Rule  and  the 
Wilcox-S argent  Report.  Chapter  VI. — Insurgent  Rule  in  the  Cagayan  Valley. 
Chapter  VII. — Insurgent  Rule  in  the  Visayas  and  Elsewhere.  Chapter  VIII. 

— Did  We  Destroy  a Republic?  Chapter  IX.  — The  First  Philippine  Com- 
mission. Chapter  X.  — The  Conduct  of  the  War.  Chapter  XI.  — The  Second 
Philippine  Commission.  Chapter  XII.- — ^The  Establishment  of  Civil  Govern- 
ment. Chapter  XIII.  — The  Philippine  Constabulary  and  Public  Order. 
Chapter  XIV.  — American  Governors.  Chapter  XV.  — Health  Conditions. 
Chapter  XVI.  — Baguio  and  the  Benguet  Road.  Chapter  XVII.  — Coordina- 
tion of  Scientific  Work.  Chapter  XVIII.  — Improved  Means  of  Communica- 
tion. Chapter  XIX. — Education.  Chapter  XX.  — The  Administration  of 
Justice.  Chapter  XXL  — Financial  Reform.  Chapter  XXII.  — The  Philippine 
Forests.  Chapter  XXIII. — Philippine  Lands.  Chapter  XXIV.  — Peace  and 
Prosperity.  Chapter  XXV.  — Commercial  Possibilities  of  the  Philippines. 
Chapter  XXVI.  — The  Picturesque  Philippines,  Chapter  XXVII.  — Fish  and 
Game.  Chapter  XXVIII.  — The  Exploration  of  Non-Christian  Territory. 
Chapter  XXIX.  — The  Government  of  Non-Christian  Tribes.  Chapter  XXX. 

— The  Government  of  Non-Christian  Tribes  (continued).  Chapter  XXXI. ^ — 
Corrigenda.  Chapter  XXXII. — Non-Christian  Tribe  Problems,  Chapter 
XXXIII. — Slavery  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  Chapter  XXXIV.  — The  Philip- 
pine Assembly.  Chapter  XXXV.  — Is  Independence  Possible?  Chapter 
XXXVI.  — The  Future  of  the  Philippines. 


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